May 8, 2015

Top three winners of the Philippine Rural Development Project-Bicol’s Coco Water Brand Name and Logo Design Contest were selected during the final judging held on May 6, 2015 at the Department of Agriculture (DA) Conference Room in San Agustin, Pili, Camarines Sur.

The top three winners are: Kenneth Bryan S. Sulmayor of Iligan City, Ryan C. Bermas of Bacacay, Albay, and Michael M. Morillo of San Fernando, Camarines Sur.

A panel of judges composed of ABS-CBN Bicol Area Head Amalia G. Villafuerte, Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) Chief Science Research Specialist Rodolfo P. Estigoy, Department of Science and Technology Regional Office V Science Research Specialist II Sandro B. Noguera, and PRDP Project Support Office South Luzon Director Shandy M. Hubilla unanimously picked the three winning brand names and logo designs among 57 entries submitted to the DA Regional Project Coordination Office V Information Advocacy, Communication and Education (InfoACE) Unit last April 10, 2015.

Ten entries were earlier shortlisted by Hubilla, PRDP Focal Person Dr. Elena B. delos Santos, and InfoACE Unit Head Emilia B. Bordado. All entries which were found to be copycat versions of existing brands were automatically eliminated. During the final judging, all entries were shown to the judges. Each judge was asked to rationalize his or her top three choices. The top three winning brand names and logo designs were selected based on their originality, creativity, aptness, graphic appeal, and interpretation. The judges also gave plus points to the top three entries for having a fresh and clean graphic design, establishing the product’s origin using youth-oriented buzzword, and for putting emphasis on the coco water as an alternative all natural drink especially for the health conscious and athletic types.

The top three winning brand names and logo designs will be subjected to name testing by prospective consumers as part of the market study to be conducted by the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) this May until June 2015 in line with the six-month Coco Water Processing Technology Pilot Testing and Business Incubation Project. Results of CBSUA’s name testing will determine the ranking of the top three winning brand names and logo designs.

Awarding of winners for the Coco Water Brand Name and Logo Design Contest will be tentatively second week of June 2015, shortly after the CBSUA’s name testing. The grand winner will get P30,000 plus certificate while the 2nd and 3rd prize winners will take home P5,000 each plus certificates. All contestants will be given certificates of participation.

The Coco Water Processing Technology Pilot Testing and Business Incubation Project is under PRDP’s Investments in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity (I-REAP) sub-component 3.2, aimed at pilot testing coco water’s market acceptability, profitability, product characteristics and machine efficiency prior to full commercial adoption. By turning the otherwise wasted coco water from mature coconuts into a peso earner, the project primarily intends to raise coconut farmers’ income through the Village-level Coconut Water Processing System being pilot tested at the Coco Water Processing Technology Pilot Testing and Business Incubation Facility at the DA Regional Technology Commercialization Center Bicol Integrated Agricultural Research Center Compound in San Agustin Pili, Camarines Sur. (Annielyn L. Baleza, I-SUPPORT InfoACE Unit, DA-RAFIS 5)