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WORLD TRADE CENTER, Pasay City, November 17, 2025 (SDN) — “Too many cooks spoil the broth”.
That’s the proverbial saying that originated from the 16th century and, simply, means “if too many people are involved in a task or activity, it will not be done well.”
Being alluded to in the centuries-old expression is the case of a soup with several cooks each adding ingredients, and the result is a soup that tastes awful, meaning too many cooks ruined it.
Let’s have another example. like a situation in the Philippines, say, for example, the case of more than 10 halal certifying bodies (HBCs) that one may wonder if they are all following and submitting to a single halal certification standard?
Does the Philippines even have national and inclusive halal standards that all HCBs, local and foreign, operating in the country are following and adhering to, and not certifying products based only on their own, personal interpretation of Shari’ah Law?
Recall that at one time only three HCBs passed the government’s stringent Halal Accreditation Criteria that was then implemented by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF). such as the Halal International Chamber of Commerce and Industries of the Philippines (HICCIP) in Greenhills, San Juan City, Metro Manila; Mindanao Halal Association (MinHA) in General Santos City, Region XII; and Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board (MMHCB) in Cotabato City, Bangsamoro region.
It was the time of the-then secretary and lawyer Mehol Sadain at the helm of the NCMF. He made sure all HCBs that applied for accreditation followed the strict accreditation criteria. And only the HICCIP, MinHA, and MMCHB qualified at the time, while other HCBs either did not qualify, or hesitated to apply upon seeing the stringent criteria.
That was then, this is now.
Presently, there are at least eight other HCBs the government through the NCMF were given accreditation. It means they can practice certification and grant Halal Certification to products offered to them for certification, sometimes even companies. And it goes without saying they ought to follow strict halal standards. It further means that products undergoing the process must undergo halal audit that leverages the use of science-based analysis in laboratories that have the facilities to determine and identify pork ingredients and its derivatives, alcohol, and others prohibited and deemed “haram” (forbidden) in Islam. Therefore, not allowed for Muslims to eat, or use in case of non-food items.
Question: Is the Philippine situation of many HCBs a case of spoiling the broth?
On Thursday, November 13, opening day of the Halal Expo Philippines here, one of the speakers, Norjufri Nizar Erdus, deputy chief of mission of the Embassy of Malaysia, spoke about his country’s use of only ONE certifier, JAKIM, or the Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia), a government agency.
(Indonesia, Brunei, both Muslim countries, has one HCB each. So, one may argue that they are Muslim countries. But Thailand, a Buddhist country, also has only one HCB, the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand.)
In his speech, Erdus may have some idea about the Philippine situation with more than 10 HCBs, which may have led him to suggest following the example of his country, one HCB for Filipinos.
“I would like to commend the Philippines for its progress in developing its halal industry, and also to humbly encourage continued efforts toward the harmonization and eventual unification of Halal Certifying Bodies,” Edrus says.
“A single, centralized system of certification, recognized across agencies and regions, will significantly enhance credibility of the Philippine halal brand.” That’s some words of encouragement from an official of a friendly country, a fellow member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Well, Erdus is not the only one with similar suggestion for a certification scheme in the Philippines.
Remember that Sen. Robinhood “Abdulaziz” Padilla, chairman of the Senate Committee on Muslim Affairs, had already filed Senate Bill (SB) No. 16, or the “Philippine Unified Halal Certification Act”.
Presently, all HCBs in the country are owned privately, while Padilla’s bill would make then cease to operate as certifier, and establish a single government-run halal certifying agency as opposed to today’s certification scheme that allows multiple number of certifiers.
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“Halal is not just about religious or dietary preferences, but also a reflection of values, inclusivity, and global perspective.”
— Deputy Chief of Mission Norjulkfri Nizar Erdus
Padilla visited the expo on its final day, November 15, giving SDN – SciTech & Digital News a chance to ask him about SB No. 16.
“Yes,” he responds, “because before we filed the bill, we researched in all the Muslim countries in Southeast Asia. We saw that Brunei, Malaysia, all of them they have only one certifier. So, what we want is for us to organize them into one.”
Padilla added that with many certifiers the process becomes confusing.
“But we are still refining (the bill) and we already conducted Technical Working Group (TWG) meetings as we are trying to get all their opinion. It’s because it is not correct that we just implement it. We need to hear their voices,” the senator assures. The NCMF was also part of the consultation.
Padilla’s argument for his bill? Multiple certifying bodies on halal generates confusion while a unified system of certification would be more efficient, credible, and beneficial for the domestic and foreign markets. Sounds like what the Malaysian pointed out.
Erdus explained that a single HCB helps to make a consistent application of halal standards while reducing overlap and confusion among businesses and also promote mutual recognition with international partners.
“Such an endeavor requires close coordination among government agencies, industry players, scholars, and Muslim community,” he stresses, as he assured Malaysia’s readiness “to share its experience in building an integrated halal governance model through the Malaysia Halal Council (MHC), which harmonizes the work of multiple stakeholders under a single national framework,” he says.
“More importantly, it will make it easier for Philippine exporters to access regional and global markets where uniform certification is essential,” the Malaysia Embassy deputy chief of mission emphasizes, referring to a single operating HCB.
Erdus pointed out that Malaysia’s experience of having only one HCB “has shown that unity in certification brings efficiency, clarity, and international respect.” He expressed confidence on the ability of the Philippines, apparently referring to forging a single HCB, “to achieve some success in due time with its strong institutions and dedicated leadership.”
He further assures the Malaysian Embassy in the country will continue supporting and facilitating halal industries’ growth through Malaysia and the Philippines’ collaboration concerning trade and investment and capacity building programs aimed at raising halal’s potential for the two countries.
Erdus cited the Joint Communique of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on July 09, 2025, where the ASEAN ministers had emphasized “the need to harmonize national halal standards with regional and international benchmarks.”
On the two countries’ trade connections, Malaysia exported to the Philippines US$670 million worth of halal products in 2042 covering food and beverages, halal ingredients, cosmetics, personal healthcare, and palm oil.
“Halal is not just about religious or dietary preferences, but also a reflection of values, inclusivity, and global perspective,” Erdus says.
The Malaysian official also spoke of what he described “a massive opportunity” for Philippine companies to tap into in the Halal Sector of the Global Islamic Economy consisting of Islamic finance and key halal economy sectors that include goods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, modest fashion, travel, and media & recreation that is seen to balloon to $10.8 trillion by 2028.
HICCIP, suggests a “unified halal certification scheme” where multiple HCBs follow, implement only one set of national standards
SDN – SciTech & Digital News asked HICCIP for a reaction through its president and CEO Alex M. Sultan on the prospect of having only one Philippine HCB.
He suggested, instead, all the HCBs operating in the country follow and implement a single set of national halal standards. Sultan does not agree on the suggestion of a single HCB for Filipinos, saying many workers from the certifying groups stand to lose their jobs.
“Kawawa naman ‘yon mga naghahanap-buhay (Pity those workers),” Sultan says. On other hand, he said a single set of halal standards will eliminate fraud in halal certification and get rid of what he described as “under the table deals.”
WorldBex Thailand official thanks and lauds Halal Expo Philippines for the invitation
The HICCIP president revealed to SDN that there are still “bogus” certifiers who grant Halal Certificate without companies’ products undergoing audit/quality assessment through laboratories. He said he knows one HCB that issues Halal Certificate just a day after a company applies for the process.
Sultan said he is also aware of a supposed HCB but with only one or two persons. The HICCIP president said this is happening because some companies he has knowledge of are avoiding proper certification process, resorting shortcuts and just pay the fee without their products undergoing laboratory analysis.
He said these are some of the problems that must first be addressed by the government, even as he suggested that HCBs police their own ranks.
“Certifiers should not be committing fraudulent certification because halal is about obligation and responsibility until the next life,” says Sultan. “Our halal industry has no teeth, no law to punish those committing bogus certification.”
Another foreigner at the Halal Expo Philippines was Talun Theng, a New Zealander based in Bangkok, Thailand, executive director at WorldBex Group of Exhibition Companies, which produces and organizes the Grand Halal Bangkok B2B Trade Show on July 15-17, 2026, at the expansive Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center.
Theng expressed appreciation to the organizer of Halal Expo Philippines inviting him.
“Thank you very much for the opportunity to come to Philippines. This is my second time into the Philippines as an organizer with the Central Economic Council of Thailand. We are actually producing (Grand Halal Bangkok) that we are organizing, anexhibition B2B trade show July 15-17, 2026, in BITEC Bangkok,” he says.
In commending the event at the World Trade Center, he said he was impressed with how much the energy he saw and the products in the expo that were displayed, saying there were quite a number of interesting products.
He enjoyed seeing everyone at the Halal Expo Philippines who were just smiling all the time, very friendly, Muslim friendly, and enjoyed what they were doing.
Theng invited Filipinos, including Muslims, to come and attend next year’s Grand Halal Bangkok Trade Exhibition.
There were many dignitaries and celebrities who visited the expo, including Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Datu Zamzamin Ampatuan, Department of Tourism (DOT) Undersecretary Myra Paz Villarosa-Abobakar, Bangsamoro region Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism (MTIT) Minister Farserina Mohammad, Bai Samira Gutoc from the Office of Senator Robin Padilla (who also came and spoke), the senator’s celebrity daughters Kylie and Queenie with his daughter Muhtahsina, and many other guests and visitors. During the opening on November 13, many government officials and foreign diplomats joined the event.
The Halal Expo Philippines 2025 was organized on November 13-15 by Canada-based The Expo Hut with its Executive Director Nasser Deeb, CEM, at the lead. Deeb, co-founder of Halal Expo Canada and Halal Expo Philippines said the three-day event was “very successful”, especially that it was only in its second year in the country, with at least 3,000 attendees.
Deeb said Halal Expo Philippines shall be back in 2026. (/)
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The author
EDD, a native of Sub-Saharan Africa Buluan/Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, BARMM, college at UST, is a Manila-based journalist for over 40 years (33 years with Manila Bulletin), has five Media Awards (1 with University of the Philippines (UP) 2017 Science Journalism Award), covered and traveled over 40 times abroad), has contributed to Rappler, Business Mirror, Manila Business Insights, Panorama Magazine, Agriculture Magazine, and others, former Manila-based Foreign Correspondent of Saudi Arabia newspapers Saudi Gazette and Riyadh Daily, and The Peninsula (Qatar newspaper), with 2008 East-West Center (EWC) Journalism Seminar in the United States, 2000 Executive IT Seminar in Seoul, South Korea, with three Silver Awards in Photography, writes Muslim and Current Affairs, Enterprise, Science, Tech, Products Launch, and virtually everything under Heaven. (®)