“This celebration will continue despite the spread of the virus,” said Bong Sosa, who attended wearing a mask crafted from a water cooler bottle.

The blessings come as the Philippines recorded a total of 144 deaths and 3,094 confirmed virus cases, numbers that are expected to keep rising as the nation ramps up testing.

The quarantine that has shuttered schools and businesses and halted all social and religious events across most of the nation will likely be extended beyond mid-April, authorities have said.