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Senators condemn 'extremely blasphemous' drag performance of The Lord's Prayer
Philippines
National
Senators condemn 'extremely blasphemous' drag performance of The Lord's Prayer
Senators condemn 'extremely blasphemous' drag performance of The Lord's Prayer
Published Jul 13, 2023 06:02 am
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday, July 13, condemned in the strongest possible terms the extremely blasphemous and offensive video that has gone viral showing people in a club making a mockery of the Christian faith and disrespecting The Lord’s prayer.
Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri (Senate PRIB Photo)
“In my opinion, this is the height of the misuse and abuse of our freedom of expression that borders on criminal activity. It offends the sensibilities of our Christian brothers and sisters, deeply demeans the faith of millions of Filipinos, and dangerously scales the boundaries of protected speech and expression,” he said. “In this case, a criminal charge can be filed under Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code, which punishes those who ‘offend any race or religion in the performance of obscene or indecent plays, scenes, acts or shows in theaters, fairs, or any other place’.’We urge the authorities to look into this matter,” he stressed. “Nevertheless, this act merits condemnation not only by Christians but people of all religions whose practice of their faith should not be mocked for private gain or for a few theatrical laughs,” he added. Asked if he would personally be filing a case against the drag queen Pura Luka Vega and the drag bar for offending religious feelings, Zubiri replied: “That’s up to religious groups as well as the authorities to decide.” “As a Christian I can’t let this get away without my condemnation,’’ he emphasized. “If they did that with a song or verse in the Kuran, I’m sure the whole Muslim world would react and made their life a living hell,” he said. Zubiri said his initial reaction to the video was extreme displeasure and anger. “For billions of Christians, ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ is one of our most solemn prayers during the Holy Eucharist, and to take it out of this context of worship, and use it as material for a comedy bar, is highly insensitive,” he said in reply to a query by Senate reporters “We are still tracing the venue (of the video shot). We are also studying the possible violations of law that was committed here,” he revealed. “As a devout Catholic, I have been taught to accord respect to all religions, in a society that respects ecumenism,” he stressed. “I hope that this behavior will not be repeated in the future. Again, let us respect each other’s beliefs, religious or otherwise, because that is how we build a kinder and gentler society,” he added. Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito also expressed his displeasure on the controversial performance. “This is blasphemy. This disrespects my faith. This went overboard,” Ejercito said on his social media account. Sen. Risa Hontiveros, a known staunch defender of the LGBTQ community also said she is saddened by this incident and finds it regrettable. “As a woman of faith, I admit I personally find this regrettable. Alam ko madami ding miyembro ng (I know there are also members of the) LGBTQIA+ community, persons of faith among them, find this regrettable,” said Hontiveros in a statement. However, Hontiveros also called for caution against the use of this incident to deny rights and protections to a community that has long been marginalized and excluded. “I wish for self-reflection, compassion and healing for both the religious and LGBTQIA+ communities. Our platforms should build bridges. The struggle for SOGIE Equality continues,” said Hontiveros, sponsor and defender of the proposed “Act Prohibiting Discrimination On The Basis Of Sexual Orientation Or Gender Identity Or Expression” or the SOGIE Equality bill in the Senate.
Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said those who are interested to file charges against the person behind the purported “blasphemous” video of a drag performance of The Lord’s Prayer should study the legal grounds well. Pimentel, himself a lawyer and a Bar topnotcher said, he would rather just pray for the person rather than press charges against him. “Let those interested in suing him study their legal grounds. Ako kasi, ipa sa Diyos na lang natin yan (On my part, I will just give it to God), and pray for him just as we also pray for ourselves and the forgiveness of our own sins,” Pimentel said. Drag queen Pura Luka Vega has refused to apologize for his actions despite the strong public objection and a strongly worded statement from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). For Pimentel, he would rather hope that the drag queen “think of some other way to make himself known and not resort to gimmickry which offends religious beliefs just to get the attention of the public.” “The true test of creativity is in gaining the admiration of people thru the brilliance of the work. Creativity is not about being brave enough to offend people. Hence we should not let this guy profit from his despicable work,” Pimentel said. Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada also rejected the offensive video: “The ‘Ama Namin’ hymn is not appropriate for that occasion!” In a more lengthy statement, Sen. JV Ejercito agreed that the case at hand has stirred hostile feelings towards the Catholic faith. “Instead of prompting sober discussions on art and religion, the performance has nudged ad hominem attacks against Filipino Catholics,” Ejercito said. “As a devout Catholic, born and raised in the Catholic faith, I agree with the CBCP, that objects of faith should not be used for entertainment purposes, more so, to mock God and his faithful,” he added. “Ama Namin (The Lord's Prayer) is sacred to us Christians; using it for humor is extremely offensive and disrespectful. Artists should always exercise discernment, as their craft may inspire division or worse, aggression. We should learn to respect each other’s faith and religion,” Ejercito reiterated.
Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri (Senate PRIB Photo)
“In my opinion, this is the height of the misuse and abuse of our freedom of expression that borders on criminal activity. It offends the sensibilities of our Christian brothers and sisters, deeply demeans the faith of millions of Filipinos, and dangerously scales the boundaries of protected speech and expression,” he said. “In this case, a criminal charge can be filed under Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code, which punishes those who ‘offend any race or religion in the performance of obscene or indecent plays, scenes, acts or shows in theaters, fairs, or any other place’.’We urge the authorities to look into this matter,” he stressed. “Nevertheless, this act merits condemnation not only by Christians but people of all religions whose practice of their faith should not be mocked for private gain or for a few theatrical laughs,” he added. Asked if he would personally be filing a case against the drag queen Pura Luka Vega and the drag bar for offending religious feelings, Zubiri replied: “That’s up to religious groups as well as the authorities to decide.” “As a Christian I can’t let this get away without my condemnation,’’ he emphasized. “If they did that with a song or verse in the Kuran, I’m sure the whole Muslim world would react and made their life a living hell,” he said. Zubiri said his initial reaction to the video was extreme displeasure and anger. “For billions of Christians, ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ is one of our most solemn prayers during the Holy Eucharist, and to take it out of this context of worship, and use it as material for a comedy bar, is highly insensitive,” he said in reply to a query by Senate reporters “We are still tracing the venue (of the video shot). We are also studying the possible violations of law that was committed here,” he revealed. “As a devout Catholic, I have been taught to accord respect to all religions, in a society that respects ecumenism,” he stressed. “I hope that this behavior will not be repeated in the future. Again, let us respect each other’s beliefs, religious or otherwise, because that is how we build a kinder and gentler society,” he added. Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito also expressed his displeasure on the controversial performance. “This is blasphemy. This disrespects my faith. This went overboard,” Ejercito said on his social media account. Sen. Risa Hontiveros, a known staunch defender of the LGBTQ community also said she is saddened by this incident and finds it regrettable. “As a woman of faith, I admit I personally find this regrettable. Alam ko madami ding miyembro ng (I know there are also members of the) LGBTQIA+ community, persons of faith among them, find this regrettable,” said Hontiveros in a statement. However, Hontiveros also called for caution against the use of this incident to deny rights and protections to a community that has long been marginalized and excluded. “I wish for self-reflection, compassion and healing for both the religious and LGBTQIA+ communities. Our platforms should build bridges. The struggle for SOGIE Equality continues,” said Hontiveros, sponsor and defender of the proposed “Act Prohibiting Discrimination On The Basis Of Sexual Orientation Or Gender Identity Or Expression” or the SOGIE Equality bill in the Senate.
Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said those who are interested to file charges against the person behind the purported “blasphemous” video of a drag performance of The Lord’s Prayer should study the legal grounds well. Pimentel, himself a lawyer and a Bar topnotcher said, he would rather just pray for the person rather than press charges against him. “Let those interested in suing him study their legal grounds. Ako kasi, ipa sa Diyos na lang natin yan (On my part, I will just give it to God), and pray for him just as we also pray for ourselves and the forgiveness of our own sins,” Pimentel said. Drag queen Pura Luka Vega has refused to apologize for his actions despite the strong public objection and a strongly worded statement from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). For Pimentel, he would rather hope that the drag queen “think of some other way to make himself known and not resort to gimmickry which offends religious beliefs just to get the attention of the public.” “The true test of creativity is in gaining the admiration of people thru the brilliance of the work. Creativity is not about being brave enough to offend people. Hence we should not let this guy profit from his despicable work,” Pimentel said. Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada also rejected the offensive video: “The ‘Ama Namin’ hymn is not appropriate for that occasion!” In a more lengthy statement, Sen. JV Ejercito agreed that the case at hand has stirred hostile feelings towards the Catholic faith. “Instead of prompting sober discussions on art and religion, the performance has nudged ad hominem attacks against Filipino Catholics,” Ejercito said. “As a devout Catholic, born and raised in the Catholic faith, I agree with the CBCP, that objects of faith should not be used for entertainment purposes, more so, to mock God and his faithful,” he added. “Ama Namin (The Lord's Prayer) is sacred to us Christians; using it for humor is extremely offensive and disrespectful. Artists should always exercise discernment, as their craft may inspire division or worse, aggression. We should learn to respect each other’s faith and religion,” Ejercito reiterated.