FACE MASK. A reusable high-quality face mask produced by one of Board of Investments' partners that is into personal protective equipment making. Its inner layer is absorbent while the outside layer is fluid repellent. (PNA photo by Kris Crismundo)
MANILA – Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) assisted by the shared service facility (SSF) program of the department will be supplying reusable face masks that will be distributed to vulnerable sectors in the country.
At the launch of community distribution of face masks in the province of Rizal Wednesday, Lopez said these face masks follow high standards to ensure that vulnerable sectors will get protection from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
"The reusable masks will be produced by our women cooperatives, MSMEs that received shared service facilities like sewing machines from DTI, and all our networks with CONWEP (Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines), TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) and DTI," he said in Filipino.
This initiative is in response to the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to provide free face masks to households with senior citizens, pregnant women, those with special health conditions, and beneficiaries of the social amelioration program.
Each household from these vulnerable sectors shall receive 50 pieces of face masks from the government.
One of the immediate responses of DTI in the fight against Covid-19 is the repurposing of manufacturing facilities to produce critical products like personal protection equipment (PPE) including face masks and coveralls, as well as face shields, alcohol, and ventilators, among others.
A DTI's report to the Office of the President last month said SSF fabrication laboratories (FabLabs) of DTI produced and distributed over 59,026 face masks, nearly 79,789 face shields, 1,872 medical gowns and 3,996 liters of ethyl alcohol.
"Similar to situations in war, the DTI and the Board of Investments (BOI) encouraged local manufacturers to repurpose some of their manufacturing capacity into the production of critical weapons to fight the war against Covid-19, such as PPE and face masks, so the country can lessen its reliance from imports. At the start of the pandemic, sourcing even from other countries became difficult as other countries prioritized their internal needs for masks and PPE. Thus, it became necessary to produce at least for our country’s internal requirements and be self-reliant on strategic and critical medical products," Lopez said in a statement.
He added more manufacturers have started and expanded their production capacities, such as Reliance, MedTecs, EMS, and Tacca and they formed an alliance called the Confederation of Philippine Manufacturers on PPE (CPMP).
Just last week, BOI said Australian firm Tacca announced its plans to scale up its PPE production.
It is now hiring 100 new personnel for its Laguna plant. (PNA)
