Filipina with ‘Demonic’ Tattoos Ambushed by Exorcist on Bus (8 Photos)

These days, seeing someone with a heavily tattooed face and body is hardly unusual. Yet some people still find striking alternative looks deeply unsettling. While riding a city bus, 30-year-old DeeDee Villegas from Cebu, Philippines, was confronted by a priest who attempted to cast out her "evil spirits" to the cheers of fellow passengers. Fortunately, DeeDee emerged from the brief ritual unharmed.





DeeDee Villegas got her first tattoo as a teenager under peer influence while attending a college with a thriving goth and emo scene. She admits her passion started as a trend, but over time it became a vital emotional outlet that helps ease her mind.



Villegas explains that she used to get inked whenever she struggled with anxiety or depression. Therapy eventually helped her overcome using body art as a coping mechanism, but post-treatment, she realized tattooing remained her primary form of self-expression and kept adding to her collection.





Her ink is far from random. Villegas holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of San Carlos and has extensively studied tattoo culture and global traditions. Every piece on her skin carries deep personal and cultural meaning.



Villegas’s body is a walking art gallery. Over 12 years, she has spent roughly 200 hours in tattoo parlors and invested around $26,000 in her passion. Patterns cover over 70 percent of her face and body—she even has inked eyeballs.



Living with Tattoos in the Philippines

In addition to her tattoos, DeeDee has several facial piercings, making her look even bolder. From personal experience, she knows how tough life can be in a deeply conservative country. Devout Filipinos often whisper prayers or cross themselves when they see her.



The bus incident with the priest performing an impromptu exorcism was just one of many encounters. Minding her own business, DeeDee was sitting peacefully in her seat when the clergyman, unwilling to ride alongside a "demonic presence," started his rituals without her consent—much to the approval of fellow commuters.



DeeDee advocates against tattoo discrimination and is glad to see public attitudes gradually shifting for the better, with growing acceptance for tattooed individuals and the LGBT community.

“Still, there are noticeable changes. There are now industries where heavily modified individuals can apply and even thrive. There was a time when having face or hand tattoos meant you couldn't even get a job interview, but that has changed.”



Yet full acceptance remains a distant goal. Villegas admitted in an interview that she still routinely faces verbal abuse from strangers on the street.