RAISING SENSIBLE AND

THOUGHT-PROVOKING
QUESTION IN PUBLIC
FORUMS AND DISCUSSIONS
WHAT IS PUBLIC FORUM?

 It is a place that has long-standing tradition

of being used for, is historically associated
with, or has been dedicated by government
act to the free exercise of the right to speech
and public debate and assembly
What is panel discussion?
 It is a specific format used in a meeting,
conference or convention. It is live or
virtual discussion about a specific topic
amongst a selected group of panelists
who share differing perspectives in front
of a large audience.
Activity 1
Activity 2
Directions: Read the news article and answer the
questions that follow.
Philippines seeks to spearhead international trials on VCO vs. COVID-19
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is eyeing to spearhead the
international "solidarity trials" for virgin coconut oil as a potential cure for the
coronavirus disease 2019. A scientist involved in the VCO study revealed
yesterday.
The planned undertaking is an effort to boost or expand the Department of
Science and Technology-Food, and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI)
's clinical trials showing that VCO is an effective functional food that can treat
mild cases of COVID-19.
Professor Fabian Dayrit of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and
member of the FNRI study team that conducted the clinical trials on VCO in
Santa Rosa, Laguna, said that the Philippines could tap the International
Coconut Community (ICC) for the global study on VCO.
Dayrit said the team would schedule an online meeting with the ICC to
discuss a global solidarity trial similar to those being organized by the World
Health Organization (WHO) on candidate COVID-19 vaccines.
 "Of course, there will be stronger acceptance if the study is
done in many places. If it's replicated in many places and the
results are the same," Dayrit said in a recent virtual conference
held by the DOST to present the positive results of the study.
Dayrit, whose expertise is chemistry, said the Philippines
could lead this effort since it is the biggest exporter of VCO
globally. "It will certainly benefit our VCO producers," he added.
The ICC is an intergovernmental organization of coconut
producing countries organized in 1969 under the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-
ESCAP). The ICC Secretariat is located in Jakarta, Indonesia,
and is headed by an executive director.
 Dayrit said the solidarity trial would "replicate the (DOST-FNRI) study so we can
reproduce (the sample size or population)." He noted that the clinical study involved a
small population of 57 COVID-19 probable or suspected cases, more than half of
which tested positive for the virus.
Dayrit said that the international solidarity trials on VCO could increase the
sample or patient population to maybe 3,000.
The DOST-FNRI study, which entailed the provision of healthy meals mixed with
VCO to 57 suspected and probable COVID-19 cases confined at the Santa Rosa
Community Hospital in Santa Rosa City, Laguna and the Santa Rosa COVD-19
Quarantine Facility, showed all the participants recovering and testing negative for
COVID-19 at the end of the 28-day clinical trials.
Imelda Agdeppa, study leader and DOST Scientist II, said that of the 57 suspected
and probable patient-participants, 37 had tested positive for COVID-19.
Of the 37 confirmed COVID-19 positive participants, she said that 19 were in the
group that was given meals mixed with VCO, and 18 were in the control group, who
were given meals without VCO.
"The results speak so loud, that if we give VCO, the CRP C-reactive
protein, which is actually a marker for the indication of the presence of
infection or inflammation, has actually significantly declined at the Day 14,
of our (intervention)," Agdeppa said in a Zoom press briefing on the results
of the study.
"At Day 2, you can actually observe it. It actually went down the line until
Day 28. So that means that our VCO has really improved in terms of their
conditions or presence of infection," she said.
"As for our recommendation: VCO is actually a functional food, it is an
adjunct supplement, to ease the symptoms of the suspect and probable
cases of COVID-19 so it won't develop into a severe case," Agdeppa said.
She stressed that they have to do further studies to make an outright health
claim that VCO can treat COVID-19.
LEARNER’S ACTIVITY SHEET
(LAS)