TECHNICAL Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) Secretary Isidro Lapeña has called on the public to learn how to make DIY (do-it-yourself) washable face masks especially at this time of need and while the majority of the population is under the enhanced community quarantine.

Lapeña said that while employees of the Tesda regional and provincial offices and trainees of Tesda training institutes are continuously producing washable face masks for donation to the frontliners, there is still a big demand for face masks nationwide given the threat of spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the community.

"It will be beneficial if our kababayan, now that most are staying at home, to learn how to sew face masks for their use and of their families. We all need face masks now that we are required to wear them outside when doing essentials for our households," Lapeña said.

Face mask production can also be turned into a livelihood especially during this time when workers or employees have been temporarily suspended from reporting for work due to the quarantine. With the reported shortage in the supply of face masks, enterprising Filipinos can benefit from selling cloth face masks, Tesda said.

Tesda has posted the instructional video on how to make cloth face masks at www.e-tesda.gov.ph. It shows step-by-step procedures in sewing a face mask, starting with pattern making up to the finishing touches.

Interested sewers may also skip the “Drafting” step shown in the video and instead directly proceed with pattern cutting as Tesda has provided patterns downloadable from https://bit.ly/2UGSmOD.

The patterns have to be printed on A4 sheet of paper to be used as layout on the fabric, preferably cotton, as being used in Tesda face mask production.

As of April 4, 2020, Tesda has produced and donated almost 91,000 face masks to frontliners of various hospitals and local government units, the uniformed personnel at checkpoints, barangay tanod, and health workers, other government agencies, including members of the media. (PR)