WATCH: Parish churches simultaneously ring bells amid COVID-19 crisis

MANILA, Philippines — Parish churches all over the country simultaneously rang their bells on Wednesday, which signaled the start of a televised Inter-faith prayer against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Bells rang at exactly 3 p.m. on April 8, Holy Wednesday, which later led to the start of the Inter-faith prayer organized by the government, through the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Among those that participated were:

St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face Parish in Barangay Talisay, Lipa City, Batangas

https://www.facebook.com/st.thereselipa/videos/519685605605037

Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu

https://www.facebook.com/BMSNCebu/videos/320572192254628

Sto. Rosario Parish Church in Dampalit, Malabon

https://www.facebook.com/MapaghimalangBirhenngStoRosario/videos/578584586092149

St. Andrew the Apostle Parish Church in Amlan, Negros Oriental

https://www.facebook.com/st.andrewtheapostleamlan/videos/226900785224527

The simultaneous tolling of bells was encouraged by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, as this was in response of the IATF.

This comes as the Philippines grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, where the country has a record of 3,764 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, as announced by the Department of Health.