Tourism Congress Philippines (TCP) Halal Committee chairperson Marilou Ampuan had long ago been pushing for a more Halal certifiers in the country.

Currently, there are only six private Filipino-owned halal certifiers in the country.

These are the Islamic Dawa Council of the Philippines, Halal Development Institute of the Philippines, Mindanao Halal Authority, Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board, Halal International Chamber of Commerce, and Prime.

However, these certifiers are acknowledged only in the Philippines and not in other countries.

The Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (Esma) in Dubai recently acknowledged one of the Halal certifiers in the Philippines.

David added the Halal board will have a talk on accreditation on certifiers especially on the cost that it entails. The cost varies based on the establishment’s services, facilities, and the kind of market being catered to. (JPA)