THE Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) in Western Visayas has been anticipating demand for virgin coconut oil (VCO) as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.

Jeffrey Delos Reyes, PCA regional director, said to the media that demand for VCO already surged from South Korean and Chinese markets in 2020. It was only recently that Filipinos have seen the potential of VCO as a supplement for the Covid-19.

The PCA gave P17 million as a check for the construction of a VCO manufacturing plant in Barangay Antipolo, Ibajay, Aklan.

"This program is part of the signing of the Coco Levy Act authored by Senator Cynthia Villar and was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte. Our coconut farmers in the region expect more programs that will surely boost their way of life," Delos Reyes said.

Ibajay Mayor Jose Enrique Miraflores personally received the check. The construction of the VCO plant will start soon.

"As the building is being constructed, we have also provided 10,000 coconut seedlings for the community to plant so that when the VCO facility is operationalized, we could expect more supply of coconut," he added.

The Department of Science and Technology recently announced that it is conducting a study on the effects of VCO on Covid-19 patients and the initial results found was promising. (SunStar Philippines)