Pampanga fashion designers make face masks for frontliners

Fashion designers in Pampanga have banded together to make face masks for front liners in the fight against COVID-19. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO –– They make fabulous clothes and wedding gowns. And now face masks too.

Top couturiers in Pampanga have made more than 4,000 washable masks within the week, which they donated to hospitals and cops manning quarantine checkpoints, as they join the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Going by the name “Pampanga Designers,” the fashion designers and their staff are still busy producing more masks as they toil with their sewing machines at their respective ateliers.

They heeded a call after event stylist Pancho Pantig and events organizer Voltaire Zalamea decided to help on March 20.

Pantig asked Zalamea if he could “create a group chat for the Pampanga designers, who can help in creating masks for the frontliners and volunteers in Angeles and towns, either by donating some fabrics or helping sew masks using the pattern sent by designer Santino Rivera.”

The items became scarce and costly before President Duterte put Luzon under enhanced community quarantine on March 17.

To Zalamea’s joy, six of the members have already been tailoring their masks when he launched the group chat on March 21.

The face mask project has been joined by Rivera, Mich Viray, Glen Canlas, Noel Calma, Philip Torres, Marlon Tuazon, Frederick Policarpio, Manny Ocampo, Cholo Ayuyao, and Andy De Leon.

Also part of the team are: Brit Tripudio, Carl John Miranda, Danica Zita, Jhaymer Ferrer, Lui Jhune Angeles, Jojo Macapinlac, Manelle Chamian, Rich Sabinian, Richard Hill, RJ Ryan, Rop Syquia, Rosette Ramos Biag, and Adrian Sahagun.

“Because of the group chat, things were made easier and faster as most of us decided to create the masks at their places using the pattern that has been shared. Some of them donated fabrics and some donated cash to buy more fabrics and materials,” Zalamea said.

The masks were sent to the Angeles University Foundation Medical Center, the Sacred Heart Medical Center, the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital, the Ospital Ning Angeles, the VL Makabali Memorial Hospital, and the Porac District Hospital.

They also gave masks to the St. Raphael Foundation and Medical Center, the Green City Medical Center, the Angeles Medical Center, the Ricardo P. Rodriguez Memorial District Hospital, and the checkpoints.

They are now making face shields and are looking forward to manufacturing medical hazard suits, if resources are enough, said Zalamea.

LZB