By JEN BAYLON

A man was arrested after he desecrated six religious images inside a church in Negros Occidental’s Binalbagan town yesterday morning.

Rolly Semira, 39 years old, a resident of the town’s Barangay San Teodoro, drove his tricycle into the church during a Mass.

Fr. Leopoldo Cahilig, San Isidro Labrador Catholic Church parish priest, said Semira entered the premises and destroyed the religious images of Saint Isidro Labrador, the Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph, and the two angels.

Semira, now in police custody, claimed that he was “ordered by Allah to destroy the images.”

Cahilig said they intend to file charges against Semira.

The priest said the church will be closed as they “try to fix externally the physical damage in the sanctuary, and internally the injury and pain felt by all Catholics in Binalbagan.”

Meanwhile, Binalbagan Mayor Alejandro Mirasol has condemned the incident.

“I express my great sadness regarding the sacrilegious act that occurred in our parish church this morning,” Mirasol said in a statement.

“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,” he said.

“While our sacred statues may have been broken, our faith remains unshaken,” he added./JB, WDJ