THE 3rd annual Philippine Halal Trade and Tourism Exposition opens Tuesday, May 1, and will run until May 6.
The expo is being held under the umbrella of the Universal Islamic Center (UIC), institutional partner of the Davao City Halal Industry Development Council (DCHIDC), and carries the theme “Focus Integration on Philippine Halal Trade and Tourism toward Global Market” this year.
UIC president and Halal spokesperson Marilou Ampuan said this year’s expo aims to incorporate the concepts and principles of Halal in relation to trade and tourism for both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Ampuan said the Halal week features a simple demonstration of the Halal food from kitchen to plate; a two-day Philippine Halal Conference; and the unveiling of the Muslim Friendly Destination Program in Davao City as the pilot project for Halal.
"The Muslim Friendly Destination Program is a project of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Trade Industry (DTI). They will be tapping six areas, which will serve as gateways for Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) market," Ampuan said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at The Annex of SM City Davao on Monday, April 30.
Ampuan said the areas selected for the Muslim Friendly Destination Program are Davao City, National Capital Region (NCR), Cebu City, Zamboanga City, Cotabato and Palawan. She added that the council keeps on promoting Davao City as the most-friendly destination because of its Halal Ordinance.
"Then aside from that, we have our latest ordinance, creating Davao City Halal Industry Development Council. Mao ni siya ang Executive Order No. 12 wherein the city mayor (Sara Duterte-Carpio) is the chairperson. Mao nagkahiusa ang (We are united) to promote Davao since the city is already friendly in this kind of market," she said.
Ampuan said the Muslim Friendly Destination Program has support from the national government. She added that Davao City has the most number of Halal-certified establishments which is important, especially for the Muslims.