FIGHTING COVID-19 IN 3D

Joseph Fernan regularly browses his Facebook group chats.

At first glance, one would assume that he is simply checking his social media platforms to kill his boredom during the community quarantine. But in reality, this young entrepreneur is busy checking for new information from volunteers nationwide on how to fabricate and innovate the designs of a face shield through a 3D printer.

Beside him, his own 3D printer is silently doing its work, creating a frame from the rolls of filament donated by the Department of Trade and Industry-Regional Operations Group (DTI-ROG) in collaboration with Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) Mindanao. The frames will ater be mounted with acetate sheets to complete the face shield.

Joseph is just one of the many volunteers in the Cagayan de Oro 3D-making community who is into lending a helping hand in the production of face shields to help ease the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the medical frontliners.

Offering his 3D services for free is fairly easy as Joseph has always been generous. He has done a lot of volunteer work since he was a Mechanical Engineering student in Xavier University and starting his own company.

Joseph had been catering small projects with his advocacy of sharing and improving the knowledge of 3D printing to the locals of Cagayan de Oro. In fact, one of his activities was demonstrating the technology to the doctors of Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC).

Presently, Joseph spends his time coordinating with other volunteers for donation of materials and fabrication of face shields. But while most of the PPE will be handed over to hospitals designated to fight COVID-19, Joseph has also set his focus in prioritizing the face shields for the ‘doctors to the barrios’.

“Para sa amo ang priorities kay DTTBs kay sila ang least support na makuha (We prioritize the ‘doc-tors to the barrios’ because of the least support that they get),” he shared. “Dinhi sa Cagayan daghan maka-donate. Pero didto sa ilaha, sa barangay nila, asa man sila makakuha og face shield? (A lot of people can donate in Cagayan. But where can they [DTTBs] get face shields in the barangay?)”

Together with three companions in his company, ZYX Co., Joseph has started delivering the finished face shields for the DTTBs in El Salvador, Lanao, Balingasag, and Magsaysay.

Last March 26, 2020, he also turned over 126 frames in the DTI-Region 10 office for the fabrication of face shields to be donated to NMMC.

Despite receiving no compensation for electricity and labor cost, Joseph and the rest of the volunteers in Cagayan de Oro’s 3D-making community continue their passion to serve through continuous innovation in the design and production of face shields to help medical frontliners protect themselves from COVID-19.