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DPA
Manila
Police in the Philippines said on Thursday that they had arrested three men for flagellating themselves despite a ban on Holy Week rituals amid a lockdown to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
The men, aged 18 and 20, were residents of the village of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga province, some 80 kilometres north of Manila.
The village is the site of annual Good Friday crucifixion re-enactments which have been cancelled due to the pandemic.
Police on patrol chanced upon the suspects on Wednesday walking barefoot in a street in the village, beating their backs with whips fitted with bamboo sticks and glass shards, a traditional part of Holy Week processions.
“Police officers ordered the suspects to stop what they are doing and to stay at home, but the suspects refused and disobeyed,” a police report said.
The suspects have been detained while criminal charges were being prepared against them, said Paul Gamido, chief of police in San Fernando City, which has jurisdiction over the village.
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10/04/2020
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