DOST produces face shields using bamboo frames for Laguna frontliners

The Department of Science and technology (DOST) - Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) produced face shields for frontline workers in Laguna using bamboo as frames.

In a statement on Monday, DOST said the frames of the face shields were made from bamboo or kauayan-tinik, which is  a perennial, woody-stemmed grass known for its versatile uses.

“Our team had to improvise with the materials at hand because the enhanced community quarantine made it challenging to procure supplies,” DOST-FPRDI Director Romulo Aggangan said.

Photo courtesy of DOST

The bamboo-framed face shields were crafted by a team led by Froilan Samiano, Audel Mosteiro, Noel Medrano, Val DV Valderama and Cesar Austria .

Aggangan said 300 face shields were turned over to some barangays and rural health units in Los Baños and Bay in Laguna, as well as to the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

More face shields will be produced in the coming weeks, DOST said.

“The DOST-FPRDI is one with the science community in finding ways to protect our frontliners and the public from COVID-19,” Aggangan said.

“Currently, we are exploring other possible uses of forest products to help combat this global pandemic. The use of R&D and scientific facts is all the more needed to cope in these challenging times,” he added. — Joviland Rita/RSJ, GMA News