To assist frontline workers in different sectors who are continuously fighting COVID-19 in the country, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the DOST-MIMAROPA Regional Office has donated more than 2,000 DOST-developed face shields in the province of Oriental Mindoro.
The face shields were developed by the DOST Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) and Philippine Science High School MIMAROPA Region Campus (PSHS-MIMAROPA) in response of DOST to the call of the ‘Bayanihan to Heal as One Act’ in beating the Covid-19 pandemic in the Philippines. The face shields from DOST-MIRDC were developed using a plastic injection molding technology, an upgrade from 3D Printing technology, to ramp up the production of the protective frames to up to 5,000 pieces per day.
Of the total 2,035 face shields donated, 1,945 face shields were successfully distributed by DOST-MIMAROPA through its Provincial S&T Center in Oriental Mindoro to the health workers in Oriental Mindoro Provincial Hospital (OMPH) last July 15, 2020, 95 to the frontline workers in the Provincial Agriculturist's Office and 55 to the Provincial Disaster Reduction and Management Office – Oriental Mindoro last July 14, 2020.
The transport of the face shields from Manila to Oriental Mindoro was made possible through the assistance of Mr. Nelson Diona of Red Gate Farm Supplies, a Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) beneficiary of DOST-MIMAROPA. The face shields were picked up by the firm’s hauling truck after delivering cargoes in Metro Manila on July 7, 2020 and transported back to Oriental Mindoro the following day.
Other MIMAROPA provinces Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan are also set to receive 2,000 pieces of face shields from DOST in the coming weeks.
