INNOVATIVE. Police officers in Iligan City make face masks out of their old police uniforms to compensate for the shortage of face masks among their personnel, especially those who are assigned at the checkpoints. Some local police units also resort to making their own face shields to augment their supplies. (Photo courtesy of Iligan City Police Mobile Force)
ILIGAN CITY – Responding to the shortage of face masks, members of the Iligan City Mobile Force Company (ICMFC) took the initiative to help in their own little way to address the problem.
ICMFC chief, Lt. Colonel Roger Kent Andoy, said Friday their personnel first thought of the idea of making face masks out of old police uniforms upon seeing the shortage at police checkpoints.
ICMFC personnel are assigned to man the checkpoint in Barangay Buruun, one of the five entry points in Iligan City for motorists coming from Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Ozamiz City, and Zamboanga City.
"We have a lot of old uniforms in the office that we usually turn into pillows. But because there are many of us who don't have masks to use, we came up with that idea," Andoy said.
At the ICMFC office, two cops aided by their colleague are leading the manual sewing of the face masks. The finished products are then distributed at police checkpoints.
"In times of scarcity, we really can see how innovative our police are. It is when we badly need things that our talents come out," Andoy said.
At another police unit, meanwhile, police officers put acetate sheets on their PNP cap as a makeshift face shield.
Maj. Abogado Mautin, chief of Iligan City Police Station 4, said the idea was conceived after realizing that "social distancing" was impossible for them while on the field.
"It is impossible for us to observe social distancing because when we interview a person about their origin and destination, we often have to get closer to them just to hear their voice," Mautin said.
Mautin said part of the materials used for the face shield was taken from their maintenance and other operating expenses.
"Each of us has it and we find it effective," the police official said. (PNA)
