The local government of Panabo City in the Philippines organised a Halal Awareness Seminar on March 27 through the Tourism and Investment Promotions Section (TIPS) discussing the challenges of ‘halal’ cuisine in Davao, reported the Philippine Information Agency.
According to Malou Ampuan of the Mindanao Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI), Davao is the gateway for overseas Muslim business. “If we follow the strict and religious halal, we have nothing to eat here,” said Malou.
Malou highlighted that the current Philippine Halal logo is no longer recognised by the International Halal Standard as some companies which had been using the logo without permission from the accreditation authority, Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines.
Aleem Yusoph Adzaman, a speaker at the seminar, said that the seminar aims to develop the Philippines as a global market and a target for foreign Muslim investors, and also to publicise the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area Business Conference in October 2014 in Davao City. The city of Panabo also plans to conduct a seminar to build awareness on concept of ‘halal’ and its importance to the tourism and trade industry in the Philippines.