COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will feature good governance initiatives on halal foods and other halal-certified products during the 1st Mindanao Halal Festival to be held at the Abreeza Mall in Davao City on July 15-16.
The ARMM’s Department of Science and Technology, the lead agency in the Halal-Technical Working Group, will serve as over-all in-charge in the promotion of the region’s halal-related policies. The two-day event will feature food, apparel, fashion accessories, food-processing techniques, and other products and services that are halal-certified.
The festival will also provide entrepreneurs producing halal products new market opportunities. It will also “serve as a key focal point for education about the real halal practices, what it means and to improve business integrity through values perpetuated by truly halal role models,” a primer on the event noted.
Among of the highlights of the festival is the launching of Halal Ordinance of Davao City, the country’s first, and the Mindanao-wide Qur’an recital competition. The Halal Food Industry Development Plan is a major initiative for Mindanao under the 2004-2010 Medium Term Philippine Development Plan, which specifically provides that the ARMM shall be the country’s halal-production base.
The plan also stipulates that “consistent with the effort of making Mindanao the country’s agri-fishery export zone, the development of the ARMM as halal food production and processing center shall be supported.”
Several initiatives of the regional government pertaining to the promotion of the halal industry are already being implemented such as adoption of the Regional and Provincial Halal Food Industry Plan, and the passage into law of the Muslim Mindanao Act No. 254 also known as “ARMM Halal Labeling Act of 2005”.
Halal means permissible and Islam requires Muslims to consume only halal foods and drinks. Lots of commodities, both food and non-food items, in the domestic market are now halal-certified. (Bureau of Public Information)
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