FOR THE second consecutive year, the Technological Institute of the Philippines Quezon City clinched the Best Project of the Year at the BPI-DOST Innovation Awards.

Third and fourth-year Electronics Engineering students won with “Project Cacaotect,” a machine learning-based device that uses radio frequency to help farmers predict cacao harvest dates.

The project aims to revolutionize cacao farming by optimizing harvest timing. It was developed by students Julius Rafael Ele, Carl Vincent Reyno, and Sherie Paleracio, under the guidance of Dr. John Joel Martinez.

The team outperformed Ateneo de Manila University and West Visayas State University, during the competition held last week at Makati Diamond Residences.

For their innovative solution, the TIP team received P150,000 in cash prizes along with plaques and medals.

Last year, TIP QC’s Electronics Engineering department has earned the top prize for their project “HandMate.”

“This continued success further underlines the Institution’s ongoing commitment to fostering young minds geared towards technological innovation,” the school said.