Young Ilocano entrepreneurs Precious Jamorabon, Jhem Kharl Molina, and Marvin Xavier Vea from the towns of Burgos and Solsona boosted their confidence to pursue their business ideas after emerging as grand prize winners in the Ilocos Norte government’s annual Best Business Concept competition.
The contest is part of the provincial Micro, Small, Medium and Enterprise Office (MSMEO)’s mentoring program, which helps startups and local entrepreneurs refine promising concepts through expert guidance and coaching.
Open to all bona fide Ilocos Norte residents, the program aims to entice more Ilocanos to venture into business and take part in boosting the province’s economy. The search has two categories —food and non-food.
Under the food category, business partners Jamorabon and Molina impressed judges with their handcrafted premium flavored salts made from local sea salt and fresh herbs grown on their family-owned farm in Burgos.
Their winning spicy-zest variant earned them a PHP30,000 cash prize, a plaque of recognition, and immediate product orders from judges following their face-to-face presentation at the Capitol Session Hall on Thursday.
Their winning spicy-zest sea salt has been rewarded with PHP30,000 cash prize, a plaque of recognition, and an instant orders from the panel of judges during a face-to-face business presentation at the Capitol Session Hall on Thursday.
“We are grateful for this recognition that strengthens our commitment to sustainable production, natural Ilocano ingredients, and community driven agribusiness,” Jamorabon told the Philippine News Agency on Friday.
Driven by passion to produce quality products from the farm to table, Jamorabon said the provincial government and other government institutions such as the Department of Trade and Industry and Agriculture Training Institute, among others, have been helpful in sharing their technical expertise and providing insights to build up her entrepreneurial spirit.
“What started as a simple idea rooted in the farm is now a business concept that inspires and proves that innovation grows when passion and purpose meet,” she said.
In the non-food category, Vea’s A-framed movable hydroponics also shined in the non-food category as his winning piece offer a smart, space-efficient system to produce fresh vegetables such as lettuce in urban areas anytime and anywhere.
His smartgrow frame transforming space into smart agriculture is now ready for commercialization. He took home PHP30,000 from the provincial government as cash incentive after the presentation.
With limited access to land and unpredictable weather due to climate change, Vea who is farmer entrepreneur-engineer, said he was inspired to develop the portable A-frame hydroponic system to make growing vegetables easy even without a land.
MSMEO head Elma Gabriel said that over the past five years, their mentoring program has helped nurture aspiring entrepreneurs and strengthen existing businesses.
Through initiatives like the Best Business Concept search, the provincial government hopes to encourage more startups and help small and medium enterprises scale up.
“This celebration honored courage, creativity, and the drive to turn ideas into meaningful change. Congratulations to all, and may your journey inspire even greater innovations,” she said. (PNA)
