Philippines aims to collaborate with Arab Nations to boost halal industry

• The government aims to attract 230 billion pesos ($4 billion) in investments.
• The NCMF has established the Halal Division under its Bureau of Muslim Economic Affairs.
• The aim is to increase collaboration with Arab countries to accelerate the Philippines’ halal drive.

The Philippines is pursuing collaboration with Arab countries to empower Filipino entrepreneurs and expand its local halal industry, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos told Arab News.

Muslims make up about 10 percent of the Philippines’ 120 million predominantly Catholic population. The government is aiming to significantly expand the domestic halal industry. Manila plans to attract 230 billion pesos ($4 billion) in investments and create 120,000 jobs by 2028 by tapping into the global halal market, which is valued at over $7 trillion.

The NCMF, a government agency dedicated to promoting the rights and welfare of Muslim Filipinos, plays a central role in ensuring that halal products and initiatives developed in the country comply with Islamic regulations.

This year, the agency established the Halal Division under its Bureau of Muslim Economic Affairs and is working to increase collaboration with Arab countries to accelerate the Philippines’ halal drive.

“We are hoping that Arab countries like Saudi Arabia can also provide us training on how they (develop) their halal ecosystem, or they want to invest here to build a halal hub, that is in the picture. I think Saudi is a good country to start,” Hamdan Moslem, the bureau’s development management officer, told Arab News.

Hazrat Adnan Macabando, a development management officer at the bureau, emphasized the importance of empowering Muslim Filipinos to learn about the halal ecosystem, noting that “halal includes almost everything — cosmetics, food, travel, fashion.”

The Philippines has set ambitious targets to expand its domestic halal industry and aims to position itself as an Asia-Pacific hub for halal. Last October, the Department of Trade and Industry announced its aspiration to make the Southeast Asian country “the most halal-friendly trade and investment hub in the Asia Pacific region.”

In January, the DTI launched a strategic plan to develop the halal industry. This plan aims to strengthen domestic halal trade and export, attract more investment to generate jobs, and ensure halal integrity across the nation.

“As we prepare our country to be a halal gateway and destination in the Asia Pacific, we need to upskill our human resources through capacity-building and build more awareness,” Aleem Guiapal, DTI Halal Industry Development program manager, told Arab News.

“We will be more keen and aggressive both in promoting the halal-friendly Philippines in the domestic trade and facilitating economic missions abroad.”

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