QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES, February 21, 2020 – TFC continues it service to the Filipinos overseas in the light of recent indefinite suspensions of Catholic masses in Hong Kong and Singapore in the efforts to reduce the spread of CoViD-19. From February 16, TFC Online as well as the social media pages of TFC Asia, TFC Australia and TFC New Zealand have simultaneously aired the Sunday Mass for the faithful across Asia Pacific.
Religion in the Philippines is predominantly Christian with 81% of the population being Catholic. According to the 2019 data of the Philippines Statistics Authority, there are over 2.3 million overseas Filipino workers with 6.3% based in Hong Kong, 5.7% in Taiwan, 4.9% in Singapore and 2.4 in Malaysia. Another 2.1% of overseas Filipino workers are based in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
The numbers reflect the viewership of the February 16 broadcast as majority came from Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. Sheryl Bermudez, TFC’s Marketing Manager for Asia, shares her team’s efforts in solidarity with the overseas Filipinos who wish to still practice their faith at a time of great caution. “We Filipinos in general are spiritual people and going to Sunday Mass plays a big part in our lives. The livestream of Sunday Mass in TFC’s Facebook pages is for our fellow Filipinos in countries most especially in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore where CoVID-19 alarm is high. The people are warned not to go to crowded places and most recently, governments have cancelled events including religious gatherings. With the Sunday Mass livestream, there is a platform for them to still be part of a prayer community,” she says.
To watch the Holy Mass livestream every Sunday on Facebook, follow TFC Asia, TFC Australia and TFC New Zealand Facebook pages.
Also, the Healing Eucharist Sunday Mass (aired 6 am MNL every Sunday on Channel 2) can be watched in TFC platforms – TFC-IPTV Live, TFC Online (https://tfc.tv) and TFC cable subscriptions in Asia Pacific.