MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri condemned Thursday as "blasphemous" drag queen Pura Luka Vega's performance of the Tagalog version of the Lord's Prayer and urged authorities to look into a possible violation of the Revised Penal Code.

The video, which showed Vega wearing religious garb and singing a rock version of “Ama Namin”, has ignited a firestorm of criticism from politicians and leaders of the Catholic community.

"I condemn in the strongest possible terms the extremely blasphemous and offensive video that has gone viral showing people in a club making a mockery of the Christian faith and disrespecting The Lord’s prayer," the Senate President said in a statement.

"In my opinion, this is the height of the misuse and abuse of our freedom of expression that borders on criminal activity. It offends the sensibilities of our Christian brothers and sisters, deeply demeans the faith of millions of Filipinos, and dangerously scales the boundaries of protected speech and expression."

• 'Umayos kayo': Roman calls out drag performance of 'Ama Namin'

Zubiri said a criminal charge can be filed under 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.”

"We urge the authorities to look into this matter," he said.

He said authorities were also tracing the venue of where the video was shot.

"We are also studying the possible violations of law that was committed here," he said.

Vega has defended the "Ama Namin" video, saying the performance meant no disrespect.

"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," they said.

"I was very intentional of using a specific song and the symbolism to relate the queer crowd with the intersection of queerness and religion," they added.

In his statement, Zubiri said the performance "merits condemnation not only by Christians but people of all religions whose practice of their faith should not be mocked for private gain or for a few theatrical laughs."

"Ang unang reaksyon ko sa video na ito ay matinding pagkadismaya at galit. For billions of Christians, The Lord’s Prayer is one of our most solemn prayers during the Holy Eucharist, and to take it out of this context of worship, and use it as material for a comedy bar, is highly insensitive," he said.

(My first reaction to this video was disappointment and anger.)

He added: "I hope that this behavior will not be repeated in the future. Again, let us respect each other’s beliefs, religious or otherwise, because that is how we build a kinder and gentler society."

Sen. Joel Villanueva, a devoted Christian, also slammed Vega's "unacceptable and preposterous" performance.

"What transpired is a great insult and a pure blasphemous act against our GOD using His Word just for the sake of entertainment," Villanueva said in a statement.

"Hindi po kailanman dapat i-tolerate o pahintulutan ang pambabastos at paglapastangang ito sa ating Panginoon. Hindi maituturing na 'art' ang gawing katatawanan ang Salita ng Diyos," he stressed.

(Blasphemy and disrespect towards our Lord should not be tolerated or accepted ever. Mockery of the Word of God cannot be considered as 'art'.)

Like Zubiri, Villanueva also alluded to Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code, saying acts of mockery or blasphemy of a religion or faith in the country can be punishable under the law.

Meanwhile, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, a staunch ally of the LGBT community, admitted she found the drag performance "regrettable."

"As a woman of faith, I admit I personally find this regrettable. Alam ko madami ding miyembro ng LGBTQIA+ community, persons of faith among them, find this regrettable," she said.

(I know many members of the LGBTQIA+ community, persons of faith among them, also find this regrettable.)

However, the senator warned against using the performance to attack the LGBT community.

"I also caution against the use of this incident to deny rights and protections to a community that has long been marginalized and excluded," Hontiveros urged.

"I wish for self-reflection, compassion and healing for both the religious and LGBTQIA+ communities. Our platforms should build bridges. The struggle for SOGIE Equality continues," the senator added.

CBCP WON'T FILE COMPLAINT

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, meanwhile, said it would not take legal action over Vega's performance of “Ama Namin”.

“Palagay ko yung ganitong mga bagay, sapat na muna na naiparating namin yung mensahe at na-address namin yung publiko. Palagay ko yung mga legal na hakbang wala pa naman sa horizon," Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary to the CBCP Commission on Public Affairs, said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.

(I think it's enough that we have relayed our message and addressed the public. I think legal steps are not yet in the horizon.)

In the interview, Secillano said he was disturbed by the use of The Lord's Prayer and religious garb in the video.

“Bakit naman ginamit yung isang sacred, biblical prayer at gumamit pa ng costume for entertainment purposes? Although sinasabi nila art naman ito, pero pag pinanood mo naman malayo sa art eh. So ito talaga ay ginamit lang para makapag-entertain ng tao,” he said.

“Kapag may elements of faith and religion that are considered to be sacred, [they] should not be used for secular purposes. Because kapag hindi natin nagamit ‘yan ng maayos, ‘yung ganung mga gawain will border on mockery and profanity.”

(Why were something sacred, a biblical prayer, and costume used for entertainment purposes? Although they say this is art, if you watch it, it's far from art. It was used just to entertain people. If there are elements of faith and religion that are considered to be sacred, these should not be used for secular purposes because if we can't use them properly, that will border on mockery and profanity.)

Secillano said Vega’s statement defending the video was directed more towards the media than the members of the Catholic community who, like him, were offended by the display.

“Hindi natin pinipilit yung paghingi ng apology kasi unang-una meron naman daw siyang motive dito na hindi makapanakit na hindi makapang-mock. Ang point lang natin dito [ay] kinakailangan malaman niya at ma-realize niya that what he did is totally wrong and totally disrespectful,” he said.

(We are not forcing an apology because they say they did not mean to hurt and mock others. Our only point is they should realize that what they did was totally wrong and totally disrespectful.)

Netizens had mixed reactions to the performance. Secillano, however, had this to say to his fellow Catholics who were angered by Vega’s piece.

“Number one they have to stand up for their faith; the defense of the faith is very important. When somebody mocks our faith, then we are duty-bound to defend that faith. [But] we should continue to be mindful of our own actions, too, kasi minsan baka wala sa isip, wala sa ulo, minsan nawawala tayo. We have to temper our emotions regarding this one.”

-With Kaye Recio, ABS-CBN News intern

Watch more News on iWantTFC