Knife-carrying man damages Saint Sebastian statue at Bacolod cathedral

Around 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, 26 September 2026, a knife-carrying man identified as Melvin climbed the second level of the retablo inside San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City, Philippines, and damaged the Statue of Saint Sebastian while trying to remove the arrow. A standoff lasted about six hours, and the 5:15 p.m. Mass was relocated. He jumped onto a rescue cushion and was arrested. He faces alarm and scandal charges and a medical and psychological evaluation. The Manila Times published on 28 September 2026.

Statue damage mapped to incidentType vandalism. Coordinates are the Nominatim place_of_worship pin for San Sebastian Cathedral (10.6703280, 122.9471513). occurredOn is Saturday 26 September; the Manila Times report ran 28 September.