College student wins Toyota Fortuner in Lipa version of Palm Challenge

A Criminology student from Lipa City in Batangas has brought home a brand-new Toyota Fortuner. How did he do it? Well, he never took his hands off the prize. Literally.

At the recently concluded BarakoFest in Lipa City, part of the festivities included their own version of the Subaru Palm Challenge called the “Last to Take Hand Off Challenge”. And instead of winning a prize from Subaru, yes. The prize at stake was a brand-new Toyota Fortuner.

For the unfamiliar, the “Last to Take Hand Off Challenge” is an endurance competition where participants have to put their hands on the specified palm decals that are located around the exterior parts of the Fortuner. The main objective is to keep their hands within the palm decal until one last participant remains. The longest-standing participant will be declared the winner.

Forty competitors took on the challenge of enduring fatigue, weather, and sleep deprivation as they placed their palms firmly within the surface area of the palm decals. But after more than 48 hours, it was John Jerson Gonzales who emerged as the last man standing. Of note, the runner-up of the competition was a female competitor named Brenda Badillo.

While Gonzales brought home the grand prize, Badillo was still recognized for her valiant effort by being awarded a brand-new Yamaha Mio Gear 125 motorcycle.

It’s the first time we saw a Palm Challenge being hosted by a city, rather than a vehicle brand. And based on the reception that the challenge has received from locals in Lipa City, we won’t be surprised if more cities and municipalities would host this competition as part of their festivities.