A 23-year-old man was arrested by authorities in the Philippines on Tuesday after desecrating the Minor Basilica and Parish of Saint Martin of Tours in Taal, a town in the province of Batangas, more than 100 kilometers south of Manila, the country’s capital.
A video of the incident caught on closed-circuit television camera showed the man entered the church on a motorbike with a female companion around 11 in the morning.
The man, identified as Angelo, stopped and parked the motorbike at the altar.
After alighting from the motorbike, the female companion walked back in the direction of the main door of the church, while the man proceeded to the altar.
The man made the sign of the cross before sitting down in the presider’s chair, where he clapped his hands, raised one leg, and stomped the floor with the other.
He did not destroy anything in the church and left the altar after sitting in the priest’s chair.
The church was empty when the incident happened.
The police have arrested the man after church officials filed a complaint.
According to the police, the female companion, who turned out to be his girlfriend, said the man acted differently and was going through something. He violated Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code (offending religious feelings).
The man admitted to using marijuana before the incident and apologized for his actions.
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