Desecrated parish church reopens after parishioners offer 11 days of penance; Local government declares vlogger persona non grata

Eleven days after the Archbishop of Ozamiz ordered the closure of St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental, the historic church was reopened on August 16, 2025.

The closure was prompted by a video posted on August 3, 2025, in which a female vlogger was seen spitting on the holy water font inside the church. St. John the Baptist Church is one of the oldest in the Philippines and has been declared a National Cultural Treasure under Republic Act 10066, also known as the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.

The video went viral on social media and drew widespread condemnation, with netizens denouncing the vlogger’s act and some calling on local church officials to file charges against her.

As a consequence, Archbishop Martin S. Jumoad, D.D., of Ozamiz ordered the temporary closure of the parish church and suspended liturgical celebrations there.

The church’s reopening and reconsecration on August 16 drew thousands of parishioners, who joined a foot procession leading to the solemn rites.

Archbishop Jumoad said the faithful “have fulfilled the prescribed conditions for reparation” and had demonstrated “genuine contrition and a desire to restore full liturgical life.”

After the rites, Archbishop Jumoad presided over the Eucharistic celebration together with clergy from the Archdiocese of Ozamiz.

Meanwhile, two days after the reopening, the Sangguniang Bayan of Jimenez passed a resolution declaring the vlogger, identified in reports as Christine Medalla, also known as Thine Medalla, as persona non grata throughout the municipality “for publicly and maliciously disrespecting sacred and cultural sites in the municipality of Jimenez.”

In Philippine governance, the term persona non grata refers to individuals or groups formally declared unwelcome in a locality. The designation, however, is symbolic and non-binding, and does not legally prohibit the individual from entering the area.