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- EDD K. USMAN | Twitter: @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 | Facebook: SDN – SciTech & Digital News
(SDN) — Muslim population across the world is surging, driving the global halal industry to dizzying heights estimated to be worth US$9.71 trillion by 2025, according to https://sme.asia.
According to https://www.worldatlas.com the world Muslim population in 2024 is estimated at 1.8 billion. Also, various reports say that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world.
Imagine the enormity of that number represented by people who are by faith inclined and are obliged to eat, consume, or use Shari’ah-compliant goods and products. It should be noted that halal is not only for Muslims as non-Muslim consumers have also recognized the health and stringent sanitary processing and preparations of halal food.
How to unlock the potentials of Islamic products and goods out of the halal trade that include food, cosmetics, fashion, hospitality, pharmaceutical, and others has been an important concern for the Philippine government.
In fact, the Philippines that has dominant Catholic population and a Muslim minority has been working to take a bite at the world halal pie, and become a halal hub in Southeast Asia, through efforts of various government agencies led by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
To achieve that goal, the government through the DTI had launched the Philippine Halal Industry Development Strategic Plan (PHIDSP) 2023-2028 after a series of consultative meetings, workshops, and conferences.
Among the government agencies promoting the halal industry in the country, seeking to make it global, include the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and some of its attached agencies.
Over at the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the regional government is also promoting the halal industry.
As they say, the more the merrier.
And in comes the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) under the leadership of Administrator/CEO Abdulghani “Gerry” A. Salapuddin, former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader, erstwhile governor and congressman of Basilan, one of the six component provinces of Bangsamoro region.
Along with the SPDA CEO’s interest in halal trade is matched by Chairman/CEO Amilbahar P. Amilasan, Jr., who heads the Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines (AAIIBP).
The two Moro technocrats have agreed to pool their agencies’ resources towards promoting industries from halal trade.
Salapuddin told SDN – SciTech & Digital News that Amilasan visited the SPDA on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, at its Manila Liaison Office (MLO) in Ortigas, Pasig City, Metro Manila.
The two discussed the Lease Contract of the former (SPDA) of the Office Spaces at the newly constructed Business Center Building of SPDA at Veterans’ Avenue, Zamboanga City, Western Mindanao.
SPDA and PEZA MOU to create specialized ecozones for halal hubs, production zones
But they did not stop at the Lease Contract, deep diving into the halal trade, and other subject matters.
The two executives discussed other issues pertaining to the promotion of Halal industries.
“Among the items we discussed are the establishment of Halal Feeds to make the poultry industry halal compliant. Islamic Takaful or Islamic insurance and Tabung Hajj Savings of Muslim employees and businessmen and other business ventures were also discussed between them,” said Salapuddin, who was reappointed to his post by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
(Note that in Islam, banking do not charge interest, which is prohibited; Tabung Hajj, on the other hand, is a Malaysian system with intending pilgrims to Makkah, Saudi Arabia, putting savings until their money is enough for the religious journey.)
Salapuddin and Amilasan described their meeting as “partnership for peace and development.”
To this end, two officials “committed to closely work as partners in promoting the socio-economic uplift of the Muslim population through the promotion of Islamic banking system.”
Attendant to this topic is their discussion on the ways of increasing the saving awareness of the Muslim Filipino population with AAIIBP.
They CEOs of SPDA and AAIIBP “specifically pointed out the need for AAIIBP to discuss with the BARMM government and the LGUs (local government units) of the region on how the Philippine Islamic bank can become their secondary or alternative depository bank, aside from LBP (Land Bank of the Philippines).
Remember, too, that the SPDA and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in September 2020 had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the establishment of halal hubs and production zones in Mindanao, particularly at the SPDA’s 4,000 hectares of land in Lanao del Sur, also a BARMM province.
Salapuddin and then PEZA Director-General Charito B. Plaza signed the MOU.
At the meeting in Ortigas, joining SPDA’s Salapuddin at the meeting was Atty, Reza C. Sinsuat, Chief Legal Counsel of SPDA, and Head of MLO in Metro Manila. On the other hand, Amilasan was accompanied by Oliver E. Saminiano, Fiscal Risk Management Officer at AAIIBP. (/)