IRR for Halal law to be signed by early May — DTI

DAVAO CITY — Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) director for export marketing Senen M. Perlada said the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act, or Republic Act 10817, is set to be signed by the Halal Board before the end of April or first week of May.

Mr. Perlada said in a phone interview the board has given its input for the final draft of the law.

He said the law will be signed by the nine members of the Halal Board, including representatives of the DTI, the National Commission of Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), the Department of Tourism (DoT), the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Department of Health (DoH) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

He also said that a delegation from the private sector and government recently returned from the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) held on April 5 to 8. This event showcases products like halal food products, meat processing equipment, packaging products, food- grade preservatives, spices, beverages, flavor enhancers, chemicals, emulsifiers, halal certified organic products, agricultural produce and other items.

Mr. Perlada said more than 100 delegates and 30 companies with products all Halal-certified staged an exhibition of food and personal care at the event, with Regions 9 and 5 and the Zamboanga Economic Zone Authority gaining exposure for their products.

“We had good exposure and were able to sell Halal products,” he said.

As a member- country of the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), the Philippines is now moving towards increasing its connectivity to maximize the potential of the Halal industry.

Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary Arturo P. Boncato, Jr., the Philippine senior off icial on BIMP-EAGA affairs, noted that for the Halal industry, there is still a lot that needs to be done.

He pointed out that the country has to move towards becoming part of the Halal value chain. This means that the country can maximize its presence in a huge Halal market, even at the local level.

He said the country has more than 10 million Muslims, which is a ready market, and noted that no Halal restaurants can be found in airports here. He also said the availability of Halal slaughterhouses is another opportunity that the country can look into. To date, there is only one Halal slaughterhouse in the country, located in Cotabato City.