Ejercito’s outrage over controversial drag performance by Ama Namin “This is Blasphemy”

Ben Madilynn July 13, 2023

Senator Jinggoy Ejercito has condemned a viral clip of a drag queen performing the Lord’s Prayer. Ejercito was outraged and called the performance disrespectful. He said that it mocked religious beliefs. He stated that the right to freedom of expression shouldn’t be at the expense of values or sensibilities held by the majority.

Ejercito’s strong words echo a sentiment that is shared by many others who see drag as a sacrilegious act. This act has ignited intense debates on the limits of artistic expression, and how to protect religious sentiments. Some defend the performance, claiming it is an exercise in creative freedom and individuality. Others argue that this crosses a boundary by mocking or disrespecting deeply held religious beliefs. This incident highlights the ongoing battle to find a balanced between freedom of speech and religious rights in a diverse community.

Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito. FILE PHOTO / Senate PRIB

MANILA, Philippines — Senator JV Ejercito slammed the viral video of drag queen Pura Luka Vega singing along to a remix of “Ama Namin,” Also known as The Lord’s Prayer

The video was uploaded by Vega. The drag queen is dressed as the Black Nazarene and sings along to a remix version of The Lord’s Prayer. The video has been viewed more than 14,000,000 times as of this writing.

In a Wednesday tweet, Ejercito referred to the post as blasphemous.

This is blasphemy.

This is disrespectful of my faith.

It went too far. https://t.co/Y9XELNOtFk

— JV Ejercito (@jvejercito) July 12, 2023

“This is blasphemy. This disrespects my faith. This went overboard,” He said.

Twitter searches also show that opinions of users are divided. Twitter user, @fonzydgreat, said “[Vega] is not worthy of respect if she disrespect[s] other people’s beliefs.”

It is not respectable to disrespect the beliefs of others.

— Fonzy the Great (@fonzydgreat_) July 11, 2023

Another surfer — @gg41treasures — pointed out that “Prayer is not entertainment. The mass is not a costume party. The church is not a club.”

The mass is not a costume party. Mass is not a fancy dress party. The church is not an institution.

— Gigi Guerrero (@GG41Treasures) July 11, 2023

Some people find it funny and entertaining, while others are offended.

According to @heymrstan’s tweet quoting Vega, the controversy brought about by the footage proved that “Vega’s art is effective,” Addition of the word “an art that sparks conversations, an art that is not afraid, an art that makes [people] think and reflect what [they] believe in.”

Ate Luka is a very talented artist.

An art which sparks a conversation, an artwork that doesn’t fear to make us think about what we believe and reflect our own beliefs. https://t.co/qfNQAqiU2n

— mrs tan// (@heymrstan) July 12, 2023

Twitter user @_nickdeocampo affirmed this. “art is meant to comfort the disturb[ed] and disturb the comfortable.”

Art is meant to disturb and comfort the comfortable.

check ur privilege po, dami dami issues on hate crimes targeted towards the member of the community, ngayon kayo iiyak, pls pls pls kaya Im really faith>religion https://t.co/xpj9lqsmdc

— nick (@_nickdeocampo) July 11, 2023

In a tweet on Tuesday, Vega clarified that her performance was not meant to denigrate religion.

“My intention was never really to mock per se. In my mind, queerness has always been there, I feel like it’s my way of actually praising God. I don’t know, I mean, I was very careful when I did that because I don’t want it to come across as something that’s very offensive, but then again it’s still taken as something that’s very offensive. Was it offensive because I am a queer individual or was it [due to] other factors?,” She said

JPV

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