THE 20th City Council of General Santos City has declared Filipino drag performer Pura Luka Vega persona non grata on Tuesday, July 18 for the latter's controversial “Ama Namin” drag performance.
Councilor Vandyke Congson filed a resolution condemning Amadeus Fernando Pagent (Vega's real name) for making a mockery of the "Lord's Prayer," which is a disrespect to Roman Catholics.
The council said the resolution was meant to reflect the sentiments of the majority Christian population of the city.
“This video clearly offended the sensibilities of the Christian community. Demeaning the faith of millions of Filipinos and disrespecting a very sacred element of the Catholic Church," Congson said during the regular session.
"May this be a reminder or warning to all... that your government will not tolerate such activity in our beloved city of GenSan.”
Meanwhile, Councilor Maria Casabuena said the resolution will be forwarded to the national government.
Persona non grata is a Latin word that literally means "an unwelcome person." In the legal sense, a person so declared is no longer welcome in a country or specific place and "is usually forced to return to his or her native country/place."
Vega's performance had received criticisms online and from various organizations.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) had earlier denounced the drag queen's performance as "blasphemous."
Some members of the LGBTQ+ had also found the “Ama Namin” drag performance offensive.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri also condemned the performance, and had urged authorities to look into the matter.
Zubiri noted that Vega's action is criminal offense in violation of 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."
Vega has not issued any statement in relation to the City Council's declaration.
However, in a previous social media post, the drag performer said he will not apologize for his performance, saying that it was his "way of praising God."
"It was in no way trying to demean naman. If you would ask naman ask me what my religion is, it's really Roman Catholic. Not a devout one, but I respect and I know how it is," Vega said.
"Then again, I also did that intentionally to challenge our notions of how we worship or how we sing our praise," he added. (RGL)