MANILA, Philippines -- More people attended this year's Simbang Gabi or pre-dawn Masses compared to previous years, according to a number of prelates elated by the observation.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said churchgoers were likely motivated by the effects of the global economic recession.

"We sometimes overlook this trait that we Filipinos have especially in the face of crises, criticisms and even black propaganda. We forget that Filipinos have a deep faith in God," Rosales said.

He said that some churches in Metro Manila had to hold two to three Simbang Gabi masses within a day due to the insistence of parishioners, aside from the so-called "anticipated" Simbang Gabi the night before.

As tradition dictates, these Masses are held at 4 a.m. in parish churches throughout the Philippines on the nine days immediately preceding Christmas Day, December 25. The series is capped by the traditional Midnight Mass on Christmas Day.

At the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Monsignor Nestor Cerbo reported an increase in Simbang Gabi attendance by people living in depressed communities such as Baseco and Parola in Tondo.

Rosales said he also learned that in Balayan, Batangas, where he was archbishop of Lipa before being moved to Manila, there were so many requests for Simbang Gabi masses that the parish had to seek help from a nearby seminary.

"Kapag hindi mo dinaluhan ay magagalit ang tao at magsasabing tamad ang pari [If you don't accede to their request to say Mass the people will get angry and say the priest is lazy]," the cardinal said.

Archdiocese of Cebu spokesperson Monsignor Achilles Dakay said they also observed that more churchgoers attended the dawn Masses this year.

He said it also helped that there was good weather during the Simbang Gabi.

Dakay said Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal was delighted to see churches filled with people during the Simbang Gabi.

"The archbishop noted that even teenagers would bring their own chairs to churches just to attend the Simbang Gabi," Dakay said.

In Marawi City, where Catholics comprise a mere 3.5 per cent of the predominantly Muslim population, the turnout for the Simbang Gabi was also encouraging.

Marawi Bishop Edwin Dela Pena reported that most of the 1,000 Catholics in the city attended the Simbang Gabi.

Dela Pena said there was also a significant number of Catholics at the Mindanao State University campus in the city. "We minister to them although they come from different provinces outside the prelature," Dela Pena said.