MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 5, 2013) – San Juan Representative JV Ejercito Estrada on Saturday urged the Aquino government to fast-track the development of a roadmap which will outline strategies and spur the growth of the Halal industry in the Philippines.
The government is still in the process of drafting a “road map” which will outline measures to develop the local Halal industry and allow exporters to comply with international standards for all Halal products such as food and medicines.
Ejercito Estrada, son of former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada, noted that Mindanao is strategically located and can easily export Halal products to neighboring Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia where there are large Muslim populations.
Establishing the Halal industry will also provide livelihood opportunities to those affected by typhoons in Mindanao, the young lawmaker said.
“There are plenty of opportunities for locally-produced Halal products particularly since the demand for these have been increasing both in the domestic and global fronts,” Ejercito Estrada, who is running for the Senate, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
He said the global Halal market is currently estimated at $2.3 trillion and continues to rise due to the annual increase in Muslim population.
“Halal” is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law.
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