Pilmico partners with Mask4AllPH to produce free face masks for urban poor, provide livelihood
Aboitiz Group food and agribusiness unit Pilmico is supporting the “all-volunteer” organization Mask4AllPH that distributes free face masks produced by partner cooperatives to benefit urban poor communities nationwide.
Pilmico has partnered with several sewing cooperatives to produce face masks out of Pilmico flour sacks. Mask4AllPH started and powered a movement of wearing masks to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19).
“When Pilmico started working with partner seamstresses and cooperatives to produce face masks earlier this year, the initial goal was to plug the shortage of PPEs that we saw in different parts of the country. But as the toll of the pandemic increased and more Filipinos’ livelihood were affected, we set upon expanding the flour sacks to face masks initiative to reach a wider network of beneficiaries, hence we extended our support to Mask4AllPH,” said Joeben Gamatero II, Pilmico’s Vice President for Brand, Marketing, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
To date, Pilmico has donated 23,000 pieces of flour sacks to the Mask4AllPH project, which will then be upcycled into 160,000 reusable face masks.
Prior to joining the project, Pilmico had tapped 30 seamstresses in Taguig and Cebu City to make reusable face masks out of flour sacks. This initiative produced over 50,000 flour sack face masks that were distributed to Pilmico customers, employees, and partner communities.
“Mask4AllPH is a good model of synergies of mission-driven individuals and institutions, including PIlmico, to provide masks by the communities and for the communities. This kind of bayanihan goes a long way—providing a livelihood source for our partner sewers, and protecting the health of our fellow Filipinos,” said Beth Yang, Ground Coordinator for Mask4AllPH.
Made by the community, for the community
Pilmico’s flour sacks to face masks campaign supports the overarching goal of #Mask4AllPH: free face masks that are made by the community, for the community, with 71 seamstresses provided with a livelihood for the project.
PGH standards for face masks
To ensure protection against COVID-19, all face masks produced and distributed by the Mask4AllPH movement are up to standard as recommended by the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
Prior to production, the movement’s partner cooperatives submitted the face mask designs and samples to the Hospital Inspection Control Unit (HICU) of PGH for assessment and approval.
Mask4AllPH is part of the Bayanihan Musikahan – an initiative which held a series of free online concerts plus a fundraising activity by several Filipino artists led by National Artist maestro Ryan Cayabyab.
Pilmico, as one of its partners, supports the project’s two main objectives namely provision of free face masks for urban poor communities and the much-needed livelihood by engaging urban poor communities in the production of masks.
In her video for Mask4ALLPH, 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray thanked everyone who supported the initiative. She also called for assistance through donations, which could help in benefiting more urban poor communities.
