"Offensive. Disrespectful. Blasphemous."
Ilan lamang ito sa mga reaksiyon ng netizens sa viral video ng "Ama Namin" song number ng drag performer na si Pura Luka Vega.
Ang "Ama Namin" o "The Lord's Prayer" na pinerform ni Pura ay isang Roman Catholic song na hango mula sa dasal na itinuro ni Hesus, ayon sa biblical text na matatagpuan sa gospels of Matthew at Luke.
Noong July 10, 2023 ay ipinost ni Pura sa Twitter ang kuha sa kanyang performance sa isang event kunsaan nakapostura siya na mala-poon sa kanyang metallic gold and maroon dress at matching headdress.
Base sa video, napapabalibutan si Pura ng mga taong kumukuha ng video habang siya ay nagli-lip synch ng "Ama Namin."
"Thank you for coming to church!" tweet ni Pura kalakip ng prayer emoji.
Umabot ng 16.9M views ang tweet ni Pura kunsaan binatikos siya nang husto ng netizens na dismayado sa kanyang song number.
May hiwalay na video na close-up shot kay Pura kunsaan sinabayan niya ang kanta ng interpretative actions, head banging, at rock-and-roll hand gestures.
May isang punto pa na nagpunas siya ng panyo sa kanyang mukha. Waring ginagaya nito ang Black Nazarene devotees na nagpapahid ng panyo sa mukha ng Nazarene statue tuwing Feast of Black Nazarene sa Quiapo, Manila.
Kahapon, July 12, 2023, inulat ng ABS-CBN ang paliwanag ni Pura sa kanyang performance.
"I'd like to stress that my drag performance as Jesus was not meant to disrespect anyone.
"On the contrary, it is a drag art interpretation of worship.
"I was very intentional of using a specific song and the symbolism to relate the queer crowd with the intersection of queerness and religion."
Si Pura ay isa sa contestants ng drag pageantry reality comepetition na Drag Den, na ipinalabas sa Prime Video noong December 2022.
Read: Naia wins Drag Den Philippines
NETIZENS' REACTIONS
Ayon sa comments section, hindi nagustuhan ng karamihan ng netizens ang paggamit ni Pura sa isang dasal sa ngalan ng entertainment na walang malinaw na intensiyon o hangarin kung bakit ito ginawa.
May mga miyembro at allies ng LGBTQ+ (lesbian, bisexual gay, transgender, queer +) community ang nagsabing hindi raw sana umabot sa pambabastos sa isang relihiyon kung may nais man daw ipunto o ipaglaban si Pura sa kanyang number.
Sabi ng isang netizen, "We know this is offensive to religious pips, so why do we resort to this kind of entertainment?
"I know they have offended us many times due to their religion, but aren't we doing the same with this kind of gesture?
"Those people will hate us more, instead of them listening to us."
Punto ng isa pang netizen, "Drag is art. Art is expression. But it shouldn't be disrespectful."
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PURA LUKA VEGA STANDS BY DRAG ACT
Sa hiwalay na statement ni Pura sa Philippine Drag Updates Twitter kahapon, nanindigan siya na hindi raw niya kailangan humingi ng dispensa sa kanyang "Ama Namin" performance.
Paliwanag niya: "I won't delete it nor will apologize for doing it.
"To begin with, our mere existence as queer individuals already offends people.
"Drag is also queer and when I think about it, to me, it's really just a yassified worship/lipsynch of the Lord's Prayer."
Nasa tao na raw kung paano iintindihin ang kanyang drag act.
"There's a part of me that feels weird to explain my art when I don't owe anyone an explanation of things.
"People are free to make interpretations of it.
"The way I see it, our reactions and perceptions reveal our values which we need to reflect on."
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CBCP'S REACTION
Ngayong araw, July 13, nagbigay ng pahayag ang Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) na nagsabing "disrespectful" ang ginawang drag number ni Pura.
"People should be extremely prudent in their actions, especially with regards to using elements of religion and faith for secular purposes.
"If not used properly, such actions border on mockery and profanity," saad ni Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary ng CBCP Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs, base sa ulat ng Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Hindi raw basta ginagamit ang pananampalataya at sacred objects for entertainment purposes.
Dagdag niya, "They are useful for channeling our deepest desire to have recourse to the Divine."