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From a safe distance inside their owners' cars, cats, dogs, and
birds were sprinkled with holy water by a Catholic priest in
Manila, as the nation's coronavirus cases continued to surge.
The Philippines has recorded a total of 322,497 coronavirus
infections, the highest in Southeast Asia.
Organisers and participants said this year's unusual way of
blessing pets for World Animal Day, celebrated worldwide to
recognise animal rights and welfare, ensured social distancing.
"We have to adapt to the new normal and the pandemic should
never stop us from paying tribute to the furry animals that we
have," said Ritchie Pascual, one of the event organisers.
For dog-owner Arlene Pedron, having her pet blessed is "very
important...because we really feel like our pet is part of our
family".
"We also want the best for his health," Pedron said, while
waiting in line with her two-year-old golden retriever.
(Reporting by Adrian Portugal; writing by Enrico Dela Cruz;
editing by Barbara Lewis)
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