THE DAVAO City Halal Industry Development Council Technical Working Group fast-tracks the creation of a Halal certification roadmap for the city.
Marilou Ampuan, Davao Region Halal Committee vice chairperson, revealed this during the Habi at Kape media forum on Wednesday.
Ampuan said the move will pave the way for the city to be the Halal hub for Mindanao, to be benchmarked by neighboring regions.
“We are preparing the roadmap as part of the technical working group, para malaman natin ano pa dapat ang tutukan natin, ano ang dapat na support dahil kung i-evaluate natin marami pang tanong when it comes to promotion,” she said.
Ampuan recognized that establishments claiming to be Halal turn out to be uncertified.
“When you say you are a Muslim, you can simply claim or put the logo Halal, but when we say Halal standard, we have to follow the Shariah and technical aspect,” she said.
She added there is a need for more collaboration on how to position how to help these MSMEs who wish to be Halal-certified, and it will be through the creation of the roadmap.
The roadmap will identify a single certifying body for Halal, which will set the standards for the preparation, production, to distribution of food, products, and services in the city.
Ampuan recognized that the city enjoys a huge advantage compared to other regions, such as the existence of the Halal slaughterhouse, the first Halal-certified culinary kitchen representing the academe, which is the IChef, among others.
However, she said, there is no Davao-based certifier.
“Universal Islamic Center is applying as one of the local certifiers; they already have an ISO standard as a certifier in food, products, and services,” Ampuan added.
One of the initiatives in the region is the chef-to-chef demo to embrace the Halal way in the business operation, where 11 hotels from the city have participated.
Halal-friendly restaurants in the city that are in the works for the Halal certification include Park Inn, Blue Lotus, El Bajada Suites, and Sunny Point, among others.
Ampuan said the roadmap will clarify the direction of the certification in the city from Halal-friendly to being Halal-certified.
Hall-friendly refers to the products, services, or establishments that cater to the dietary and lifestyle preferences of Muslims, while Halal-certified are those that pass the standards set by Islamic Law.
