MAGALLANES, Cavite – The local government unit (LGU) here hosted the “Forum on RA (Republic Act) 10817,” or Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act of 2016, on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at the multipurpose hall in Barangay Poblacion IV.

The Cavite upland town of Magallanes, under the leadership of Mayor Jasmin Angelli Maligaya-Bautista, said it is committed to “providing more opportunities” to its residents and to creating more ties to add more benefits.

The local chief executive said they are determined to open ties with more programs as Magallanes is a “continuously evolving local government unit” and seeks opportunities in the rapidly growing regional and global markets.

The said forum is an inter-agency and multi-sectoral conference on the global awareness of what “Halal” is, understanding the governing law, RA 10817, and the programs and opportunities Halal Industry can offer.

The Magallanes local government thrust to become a “premier Agri-Eco-Tourism” focusing on the agricultural industry and tourism, also envisioned to be the “agricultural promotion and investment town” in the country through the “Halal Lifestyle” under the national program.

The LGU plans to construct a Halal Slaughter House, Halal Chicken Slaughter House and Dressing Plant, Halal Cold Storage, and Halal Agri-Hub (which includes the whole ecosystem of the Halal industry).

The LGU will prioritize the domestic Halal market first and then the international market. Through this, small and medium enterprises, employment, investments, tourism, agriculture, economic, infrastructure, social, and the institution itself will develop.

The topics on the Halal ecosystem, technology solutions on its local and global supply chain, the Halal agri-hub, and Halal e-commerce were discussed in the forum.

Also, the capability and training programs for Halal will be presented. Moreover, the concerns on Halal Certification, financing, Halal source products, and services – encompassing all business operations, its sustainability, ethical consumption, green growth, and digitization are expected to be the issues to be addressed by the Magallanes LGU.

This event was initiated by the local government of Magallanes and attended by different agencies of the government, stakeholders, and the Province of Cavite, which are promoting the Halal industry in the country and implementing the mandate of the law.

The LGU invited Atty. Datubimban Pangonotan Jr., secretariat head, Export and Marketing Bureau Halal and Halal Training Programs in the Philippines, to explain the RA 10817 or the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act of 2016.

Also invited to speak before the local officials are Paramount Sultan Faizal Benaning Bansao, board member of the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Board.

Director Dimnatang Radia, Deputy Executive Director, Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC) Brand Manager, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Halal Program, also spoke on the Halal Program in the country.

Director Clint D. Hassan, First Program Director of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Halal Food Industry and Development Program, and former DA Director for Consumer Affairs for Mindanao, elaborated on the Halal Ecosystem.

Pierre Carlo Curay, president of the Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines (SCMAP), CEO and co-founder at Insight Supply Chain Solutions Corporation and Halal E-commerce in the Philippines, discussed the Technology Solution on the Local and Global Supply Chain (Deliver-E System).

Ruby Allen Leonor, CEO of Rubiyah Global Halal Corporation, spoke about Halal E-commerce in the country.