Why was Pura Luka Vega arrested? Drag artist's Lord's Prayer performance controversy explained

Filipino drag artist Pura Luka Vega was arrested by Manila Police District operatives in their home in Sta. Cruz, Manila on October 4, 2023. The artist was arrested for alleged violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code. According to BBC, the code penalizes obscene publications exhibitions, and indecent shows.

The arrest occurred a few months after groups of protestant church leaders filed a complaint against the drag artist. The complaint was filed for their performance of a rock rendition of the Lord's Prayer. They received a lot of backlash in the deeply religious country of the Philippines, where devotees called the act "blasphemous."

Vega said they found their arrest "a bit quick" and "unfair" as per New5. The Drag Den contestant has filed to reduce their bail bond, which is pegged at P72,000 ($1270.50).

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Pura Luka Vega was arrested for violation of Article 201

Amadeus Fernando Pagente, better known as drag queen Pura Luka Vega, was arrested in their home in Santa Cruz, Manila on Wednesday afternoon. According to CNN, an arrest warrant was issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 36 Manila included in the Manila Police Department report.

Vega was detained for violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The arrest was followed by multiple complaints from church leaders and devotees who deemed one of the artist's performances "desecrating their religious faith and patron."

Pura Luka Vega had made a rock rendition of Ama Namin or the Lord's Prayer and the video was posted on X on July 9, 2023. The video soon went viral across social media. A few weeks later, in August, the Philippines for Jesus Movement lodged the first complaint against the drag queen at the Manila Prosecutor's Office for violating Article 201. Following that, the Catholic group Nazarene Brotherhood registered a second complaint with the prosecutors.

As mentioned earlier, the bail set for Pura Luka Vega is P72,000 and they have filed to the court to reduce the amount. The prosecutors now need to either need to file another comment or opposition in 24 hours, as per GMA News.

The creator of the drag show Drag Den talked about Pura Luka's situation regarding the bail amount on X. The creator said that they will be on standby at court on Thursday for the decision about their motion for bail. They are also working on the "other requirements" for the drag artist's release.

"We are hopeful that our motion will be swiftly granted as bail is a matter of right," the creator added.

There has been no news about Pura Luka Vega's bail as of writing this article.

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Pura Luka Vega's comments about the arrest

Vega is currently detained in Manila by the MPD authorities. Pura Luka Vega talked about their arrest in an interview with New5. They revealed that the arrest was "a bit quick" and that their side of the story or the motion hadn't been covered.

The drag artist also expressed that they did not have enough time to submit the documents they wanted to submit. They explained to the viewers that they did not receive a subpoena about the arrest.

"Immediately, when the media took coverage of that incident, we went to Manila City Hall and stated our case that indeed, we did not receive the subpoena, it was not addressed to my current address. I don't know if that was taken into account," the drag artist noted.

Vega's statements to GMA 24 clarified that offending any religion was not their intention while standing by their art.

"I also would not like to invalidate their feelings. If they feel hurt or they feel offended, it’s their right to feel such," Vega noted.

According to BBC, nearly 80% of the Philippines identified as Roman Catholic and their views sometimes don't align with drag shows.

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Netizens are showing their support towards the artist by trending "Free Pura Luka" Vega on X.