QUEZON CITY (PIA)-- The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos highlighted the need to reinforce the country’s Halal industry by focusing on certification, marketing processes and promotions.
NCMF Executive Director Tahir S. Lidasan Jr. emphasized during the recent Philippine Information Agency Press Conference that opportunities are lost every day in terms of potential income if the country does not strengthen the marketing of its Halal products.
“The pace of the transition of Halal from food to non-food, masyadong mabilis pero naiiwanan ang Pilipinas. So there are opportunities being lost,” Lidasan stated.
NCMF officials also compared Thailand’s Halal industry to the Philippines’ due to its best practices as one of the world’s best exporters despite only having a ten percent Muslim population.
Lidasan added, however that while the Philippines needs to catch up, there is still potential for the country to strengthen its local Halal industries.
“We believe at the NCMF, as part of the Vision 2040, gagawin natin ang Pilipinas to be one of the core economic players sa global Halal Industry,” he added.
Executive Director Lidasan also clarified that Halal certification is not limited only to food and does not exclusively mean pork-free.
He added that the Halal Industry also extends to production and consumption in accordance with Shari’ah Law and various fields such as finance, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, among others.
NCMF Commissioner and Spokesperson Yusoph Mando emphasized NCMF’s key role in ensuring the quality of Halal certification in the country along with its collaboration with other government agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology.
Commissioner Mando cited an incident in South Luzon where a company whose products were certified Halal by a certifier not recognized by NCMF had four of its 51 products contaminated with porcine contents.
“Iyon po ang halaga ng coordination at pakikipag-ugnayan para maipakita hindi lamang sa isang agency kung hindi collaborative effort po ito. Ito po ang ginagawa ng NCMF,” Commissioner Mando said.
Halal products, services & tourism on the rise
Meanwhile, both public and private stakeholders have recently made strides in mainstreaming the Halal industry in the country.
The Philippine Halal Trade and Tourism Expo, was held from May 25-27, 2023 at SMX Davao showcasing Halal products and services.
Philippine Halal Trade and Tourism Expo president Marilou Ampuan emphasized the importance of showcasing the existing Halal ecosystem in the country during the event. The primary goal was to leverage this platform to access and engage with the global market by putting spotlight on the Philippines' Halal industry and demonstrating its potential
She added that the event gave a spotlight to the existing Halal ecosystem in the country in order to tap into the worldwide market.
Ampuan, who is also Regional Halal Committee Vice Chairperson, proposed the Davao City become a Halal Hub in Mindanao during a recent Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao last July 24.
She noted the presence of Halal-certified kitchens in the city, the newly certified Halal academic-based culinary kitchen, the Institute of International Culinary and Hospitality Entrepreneurship (Ichef), and a Halal laboratory developed by the Department of Science and Technology.
According to Ampuan, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) XI also proposed the creation of the Regional Halal Council to ensure that the implementation of RA10817 (Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act of 2016) is effectively cascaded from the regional to local levels.
The recent opening of direct flights from Qatar and Singapore may also increase traffic from Muslim tourists.
In line with this, Ampuan said that Davao City is further promoted as a Muslim-friendly destination due to several pork-free establishments with separate prayer rooms allotted for males and females among other policies adhering to the Halal lifestyle.
