Filipino Catholic priests Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, and Rey Amancio, 31, say prayers during a wake where attendees wear protective face masks while practising social distancing, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in a funeral chapel in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 24, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Filipino Catholic priests Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, Rey Amancio, 31, and church volunteer Rosemarie Gracia Ramos, 20, wear personal protective equipment (PPE) as they make their way to the homes of people with disabilities to give blessings, amid the prohibition of religious gatherings during the government-imposed lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 22, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Filipino Catholic priest Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, wears personal protective equipment (PPE) as he visits a woman's home who has a disability, to give her and her family a blessing, amid the prohibition of religious gatherings during the government-imposed lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 22, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Filipino Catholic priest Rey Amancio, 31, and church volunteer Rosemarie Gracia Ramos, 20, wear personal protective equipment as they pack vegetables inside a van, to distribute to homeless people during the government-imposed lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 21, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Filipino Catholic priest Rey Amancio, 31, gives a loaf of bread and a bag containing rice and vegetables to a man scavenging for food from a pile of garbage, during the government-imposed lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 21, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Filipino Catholic priests Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, and Rey Amancio, 31, wear personal protective equipment (PPE) as they make their way to the homes of people with disabilities to give blessings, amid the prohibition of religious gatherings during the government-imposed lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 22, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Michael Juarez, 42, a scrap dealer, who was given food by Filipino Catholic priests Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr and Rey Amancio, reacts as he talks to them about his life during the government-imposed lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 21, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A man who is homeless embraces two loaves of bread that were given to him by Filipino Catholic priest Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, who walks through different areas at night in Caloocan to check on the homeless, during the government-imposed lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 21, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Filipino Catholic priest Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, talks to homeless people that are currently living outside closed shops, during the government-imposed lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 21, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Filipino Catholic priests Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, and Rey Amancio, 31, pray for the soul of a suicide victim, with the victim's family inside Our Lady of Grace Parish, which is almost empty, amid the prohibition of religious gatherings, including funerals, during the government-imposed lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 20, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Filipino Catholic priest Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, disinfects his bottle of Holy Water, among other personal belongings, as a safety measure to protect himself against the coronavirus disease during the COVID-19 outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 20, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Filipino Catholic priests Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, and Rey Amancio, 31, put on their reusable hazmat suits and personal protection equipment (PPE), as they prepare to go outside during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at Our Lady of Grace Parish, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 20, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Filipino Catholic priests Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, and Rey Amancio, 31, wear personal protective equipment (PPE) as they make their way to a home to bless a deceased woman's ashes, amid the prohibition of religious gatherings, including funerals, during the government-imposed lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 20, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Catholic priest Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez has worn a hazmat suit more than a vestment this past month. His parish in the populous Caloocan area of the Philippine capital Manila has been eerily quiet in the six weeks since the government put half of the country's population on a strict lockdown to try to curb coronavirus infections. Public gatherings, schools, transport services, and non-essential work has been halted, including that of the church. Priests in the predominantly Catholic nation have had to be creative in finding ways to keep the faithful engaged. Most have resorted to streaming online masses while others have set up pews outside churches. Some have printed pictures of parishioners and displayed them inside their closed chapels. But for Vasquez, the physical presence of the church is more important now than ever. These days, he wears his stole and oblate cross over a blue hazmat suit with a bottle of Holy Water in one hand and an alcohol spray in the other as he enters some of the poorest areas of his community to bring relief, both literal and spiritual. "The situation of many Filipinos these days is pitiful. Lockdown is not the same for everyone," said Vasquez. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/PHILIPPINES CHURCH 

Filipino Catholic priest Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, live-streams a workshop on how to make organic fertilizer, to encourage people to take up gardening within their own homes, outside Our Lady of Grace Parish in Caloocan during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Metro Manila, Philippines, April 20, 2020. Vasquez has been promoting urban gardening to his community by providing free seeds to try to enable food sufficiency during the lockdown. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "CORONAVIRUS PRIESTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A volunteer performs ventosa or cupping therapy to a drug rehab patient to help ease withdrawals, at a community drug rehabilitation facility in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines January 30, 2020. Picture taken January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez 

Drug rehab patients get checked up at a community drug rehabilitation facility in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines January 30, 2020. Picture taken January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez 

A drug rehab patient gets ventosa or cupping therapy to help ease withdrawals at a community drug rehabilitation facility in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines January 30, 2020. Picture taken January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez 

The father of 23-year-old Jaybee Castor mourns next to his casket before a funeral in his home in Caloocan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 18, 2019. Castor was abducted by unidentified masked men in June, and found dead several days later, with seven sachets of methamphetamine and a placard beside his body accusing him of being a drug addict. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez 

The brother of 23-year-old Jaybee Castor mourns next to his casket before his funeral in Caloocan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 18, 2019. Castor was abducted by unidentified masked men in June, and found dead several days later, with seven sachets of methamphetamine and a placard beside his body accusing him of being a drug addict. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez 

The wife and children of 23-year-old Jaybee Castor sit beside his casket a few hours before a funeral in his home in Caloocan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 18, 2019. Castor was abducted by unidentified masked men in June, and found dead several days later, with seven sachets of methamphetamine and a placard beside his body accusing him of being a drug addict. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez 

Oliver Emocling, 23, who works for a magazine, leaves his neighbourhood in Caloocan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, November 29, 2018. Because of the long travel hours, Emocling not only lacks sleep, but also misses meals. "I usually don't get to eat breakfast or dinner unless I wake up really early, or eat out. When I get home, it's already 10 p.m., and my body is just craving sleep rather than food," he said. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "LOPEZ SARAD" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Oliver Emocling, 23, who works for a magazine, waits for the train with other passengers at a train station in Caloocan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, October 15, 2018. Queues are often an issue in Emocling's commute, which sometimes take as long as 30 minutes to an hour. When the queue is unreasonably long, he takes a roundtrip to another station where the crowd is not as deep. "Instead of waiting, I'd rather spend more money because if I'm late to work, I lose more." Emocling said he once received only half of his salary because of the number of times he arrived late due to long queues. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "LOPEZ SARAD" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Oliver Emocling, 23, who works for a magazine, rides a jeepney to the train station in Caloocan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, November 29, 2018. Emocling said usually the issue with his commute is not the road traffic, but the crowds of commuters. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm just being whiny. Maybe I'm not really struggling in my commute. But I also wonder if I've just gotten used to the struggle," he said. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "LOPEZ SARAD" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Oliver Emocling, 23, who works for a magazine, waits for a jeepney in Caloocan City, Philippines, November 29, 2018. Emocling travels about 16 kilometres to get to work. "I think it's really a struggle, especially here in Manila. Most jobs, especially in our line of work are in Makati City, Bonifacio Global City, and Pasig City, so you have to go out of your way to travel for at least an hour to get to work." REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "LOPEZ SARAD" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Oliver Emocling, 23, who works for a magazine, walks to the train station in Caloocan City, Philippines, October 15, 2018. On weekdays, especially at rush hour, it takes him almost two hours to get to work. "I've accepted that this is the reality of having to work in Makati, and live in Malabon. This is how it is, no matter what I do, no matter what means of transportation I take." REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez SEARCH "LOPEZ SARAD" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A worker cleans the window of a refurbished train in Caloocan, metro Manila, Philippines February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao 

Resident watch policemen from Caloocan Police District as they patrol an alley at a residential district in Caloocan City Metro Manila Philippines, September 14, 2017. Picture taken September 14, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Policemen from Caloocan Police District patrol a dimly lit alley at a residential district in Caloocan City Metro Manila Philippines, September 14, 2017. Picture taken September 14, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Mourners watch as Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations is buried in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco 

Mourners watch as Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations is buried in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco 

Mourners watch as Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations is buried in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco 

Saldy, father of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations, stands next to the grave of his son after Kian's burial in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao 

Mourners walk with the hearse of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations, during a funeral march in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Mourners walk with the hearse of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations, during a funeral march in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Mourners carry the coffin of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations, to his grave in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao 

Mourners display streamers during a funeral march for Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao 

A mourner waves a Philippine flag during a funeral march for Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Residents look out from a fences as a funeral march for Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations, passes by in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Mourners display a streamer during a funeral march for Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

A priest embraces Saldy, father of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations during a funeral mass inside a church Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao 

The parents of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations stops grieve during a funeral mass inside a church Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao 

The parents of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations stops grieve during a funeral mass inside a church Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao 

The parents of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations stops grieve during a funeral mass inside a church Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao 

A priest and other mourners carry the coffin of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations during a funeral mass inside a church Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao 

Mourners take part in the funeral march of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Mourners display placards during a funeral march of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Mourners walk near the flower-decked hearse of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations, during a funeral march in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

The flower-decked hearse of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations, is pictured during a funeral march in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Lorenza, mother of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations, weeps shortly before the funeral march of Kian in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Lorenza, mother of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations, weeps shortly before the funeral march of Kian in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

The flower-decked hearse of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations, stops in front of a police station during the funeral march in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

A woman, whose son was also shot in a drug-related killing, cries during the funeral march of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

A woman, whose son was also shot in a drug-related killing, cries during the funeral march of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Mourners take part in the funeral march of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Mourners take part in the funeral march of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Mourners take part in the funeral march of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH A friend looks at the coffin of Kian Loyd delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during an anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 22, 2017. Picture taken August 22, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

A school uniform and an ID is pictured at the wake of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student who was shot during anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines August 23, 2017. Picture taken August 23, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro 

Protesters and residents hold lighted candles and placards at the wake of Kian Loyd delos Santos, a 17-year-old high school student, who was among the people shot dead last week in an escalation of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs in Caloocan city, Metro Manila, Philippines August 25, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao