Cagayan de Oro City and Laguna join the other LGUs in declaring Pura Luka Vega as persona non grata
PURA LUKA VEGA – The infamous drag artist has been declared “persona non grata” in the city of Cagayan de Oro and the province of Laguna.
The Sangguniang Panglungsod of Cagayan de Oro has unanimously passed Resolution 2023-478 during a regular session, declaring the drag artist whose real name is Amadeus Fernando Pagente, a persona non-grata in the city. This decision was prompted by Pura’s performance in which he portrayed as the Black Nazarene and danced to a remix of the “Ama Namin” (Our Father).
Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya, the principal author of the resolution, condemned Pura’s actions as “distasteful behavior” and expressed offense at his lack of remorse despite widespread criticism. Vice Mayor Jocelyn Rodriguez reinforced this sentiment, emphasizing that the performance undermined the core values of faith and prayer.
On the other hand, Laguna board member Christian Niño Lajara shared the unanimous decision of declaring Pura Luka Vega persona non-grata in the province. “We have successfully declared Mr. Amadeus Fernando Pagente aka Pura Luka Vega as persona non grata in our beloved province,” he noted in a Facebook post.
Meanwhile, multiple other local government units, including Manila, General Santos, Floridablanca, Toboso in Negros Occidental, and Bukidnon, have also declared Pura persona non-grata due to his performance.
Drag artist Pura Luka Vega defended his actions, stating that his drag performance was a form of art. In a Twitter post, he noted that he’s open to dialogue. Currently, he’s facing criminal charges filed by the Philippines for Jesus Movement, a coalition of Christian groups.
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