DOST: Building a Resilient Countryside

(by Ma. ALICIA SOLEDAD A. SALAZAR of DOST Region VI)

At the height of the pandemic, many frontliners had to grapple with the masses for available PPE, face shields particularly.  DOST VI’s team of volunteers organized by Mia Pielago started the production of improvised face shields for use of frontline workers in Western Visayas.

The production of the face shields which started when Iloilo City was put on a lockdown, yielded a total of 1,220 improvised face shields.  These were donated to health care facilities, particularly government hospitals, as well as government offices in Western Visayas. 

The project was posted on DOST VI’s social media account.  Subsequently, DOST VI’s social media followers became interested in making their own improvised face shields which they wanted to distribute for free to other frontliners in hospitals, quarantine facilities, and even in the border controls. Thus, Mia’s team made a video tutorial for Making of an Improvised Face Shield.   The video must have been convenient and helpful for the viewers so much so that it garnered 23.2K views, 266 reactions, and 448 shares on Facebook.

The threat of CoVID-19 has forced all of us to change our daily activities such as working from home or closing businesses and for some, getting worried about their jobs especially for daily paid workers or those who have "no work, no pay."  As part of DOST VI’s community outreach and helping out the program during the ECQ, Mia Pielago initiated with the members of the DOST VI Cooperative the distribution of 44 rice packs to pedicab drivers in Barangay Magsaysay Village, Lapaz, Iloilo City where DOST Region VI Office is located.  Furthermore, three (3) DOST VI canteen staff, and four (4) DOST VI maintenance personnel became recipients of the relief assistance through the DOST VI Employees Cooperative. 

Among DOST’s goals are the acceleration of technology adoption and attainment of innovation-driven economy.  With Mia and her team’s gesture of kindness and compassion, DOST VI is definitely on track towards building a resilient countryside. 

 

DOST VI's Video Tutorial for Making an Improvised Face Shield

(MIA C. PIELAGO is an Administrative Assistant III of DOST Region VI)