Kokkoy symbolizes the essence of the annual Palawan festival, a convergence of all Palaweños from varying ethnolinguistic backgrounds and cultures and beliefs. He epitomizes the ambience and spirit of the Baragatan Festival -- joyful, friendly, congenial, charming, and delightful.

The popular bird parrot inspired the conceptualization and creation of Kokkoy by Roderick T. Figueroa, a staff of a department store in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Like the talking creature with the prominent beak, Kokkoy is a green parrot with a yellowish red beak and a tinge of blue at the tip of his head. He proudly wears the provincial colors of yellow and green in his overall shorts and shirt emblazoned with the official Baragatan logo, confirming his unique role in the Palawan festival.

Kokkoy was the judges’ favorite among the 21 entries to the Search for Baragatan Mascot Contest conducted by Provincial Information Office headed by Rolando E. Bonoan, Jr. from March to April, 2006. From the 21 entries, the judges selected 10 finalists and from these, the final winner of the search emerged.

Kokkoy is the perfect symbol of the convergence theme of the Baragatan festival. Although the parrot is one of the endemic birds found in Palawan’s forests and mountains, it is also found in the rest of the Philippines and in other countries. As such it is the appropriate representation of the Baragatan. Furthermore, the parrot is a favorite of almost all cultures and peoples, old and young alike. An adorable bird, the parrot is admired for its brilliant and colorful plumage, its musicality and ability to talk and mimic words and expressions of people who are close to them or those who are taking care of them.

On environmental and conservation issues, Kokkoy serves as a reminder of everyone’s task to protect the environment including the wildlife on the verge of extinction. As the official mascot, he will unify all peoples from all walks of life, cultures and beliefs converging in the Baragatan. With his charming and adorable look, Kokkoy will definitely add zest, life and fun to the Palawan festival.

So let’s follow Kokkoy as he leads us to the celebration of unity in diversity that is the Baragatan Festival!