• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A mass at the San Isidro Labrador Parish Church in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental was disrupted yesterday by a man who went amuck and destroyed religious images in front of the priest and parishioners.
Parish priest Fr. Leopoldo Cahilig said that the perpetrator broke the images of St. Joseph, Parish Patronal Saint Isidro Labrador, Immaculate Conception, and two angels.
The suspect, Rolly Semira, 39, an Islam convert, of Brgy. San Teodoro, drove his tricycle into the church at about 7:15 a.m. during the mass presided by Cahilig.
Some of the statues destroyed by Semira were believed to be antiques.
PLt. Glenn Portunes, Binalbagan deputy police chief, said that the suspect is reportedly a member of the Muslim community in Binalbagan.
In a radio interview, the Muslim community condemned the incident and slammed the use of the name of Allah in the destruction of the religious images.
Imam Akhir Saripada disowned Semira as a member of their congregation.
Semira, who is born a Roman Catholic, was immediately arrested by the Binalbagan police.
He will also be subjected to a drug test.
Cahilig said that the parish church intends to file charges against Semira for violation of Article 132 of the Criminal Code of the Philippines for interruption of religious worship.
He also said that the Church of San Isidro Labrador will be closed for two days, starting April 3.
“The church will remain closed after the funeral masses this afternoon. We will inform you of the future development while we try to fix ‘externally’ – the physical damages in the sanctuary and ‘internally’ – the injury and pain felt by all Catholics in Binalbagan caused by this untoward incident,” he said.
Cahilig asked parishioners to “pray for the immediate restoration of the sanctuary and complete spiritual and emotional healing of everyone.”
“We entrust the person concerned to the mercy and compassion of God. God bless us all,” Cahilig said.
In a statement, Binalbagan Mayor Alejandro Mirasol said: “I condemn the perpetrator’s actions and will ensure that such incidents are avoided in the future”.
“Rest assured that the local government unit will fully support the renovations necessary to restore the church to its sacred state. While our sacred statues may have been broken, our faith remains unshaken,” he added. | GB
