AROUND 15 Muslim-friendly establishments have been identified in Davao City as of January 2020.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) in Davao Region has identified the following:
1. Coffee for Peace in Ecoland
2. Nanay Rebecca’s Halal Barbeque near Davao International Airport
3. Halal House Davao
4. Al Sultan Restaurant in Abreeza Mall
5. Tinhat Boutique Hotel and Restaurant in Artiaga St.
6. Tambilawan Restaurant in Ecoland
7. Kabsa House in Padre Gomez Street
8. El Bajada Hotel in JP Laurel Avenue
9. Sunny Point Hotel
10. Aliments Makkhan
11. Haya’s Place in Tulip Drive
12. Tatang’s Halo-Halo in Jacinto Extension
13. Chili Park in Ecoland
14. Naj’s Pasalubong at Davao International Airport
15. Dani’s Palace Shawarma and Grill in Ponciano Bangoy Street
Zuhairah A. Abas, DOT-Davao Region Halal focal person, said these establishments were either those who have secured Halal certification, served non-pork food on their menus, or owned by a Muslim.
Six out of 15 of these are certified Halal, namely the Al Sultan Restaurant, Tinhat Boutique Hotel and Restaurant, Tambilawan Restaurant, the kitchens of El Bajada Hotel and Sunny Point Hotel, and Alimens Makkhan. Most of them just renewed their certification.
Abas said more establishments were encouraged to be Muslim-friendly after they launched the Halal Hariraya Open House in Tagum City in 2019. It was participated by tour operators, businesses, government agencies, the religious sector and the academe from all over Davao Region.
The open house sought to educate various stakeholders on Halal and create Muslim-friendly tour packages by the Davao Association of Tour Operators (Dato).
“We need to involve the city or municipalities because they are the ones who craft ordinances and issues business permits, so they also have to understand,” she said.
“Currently in Davao City, Alhamdullilah, we have a lot of Muslim-friendly establishments,” Abas said.
She added other sectors were also influenced to become Halal such as food delivery and chocolates.
“It is very important na ma-aware pud ang local market nga daghan tag offerings nga Muslim-friendly establishments in the city para dili pud sila mag alanganin where to eat,” Abas said.
(It is very important that the local market will be aware that we have available Muslim-friendly establishments in the city so the Muslims will not be bothered where to eat.)
“Minsan yun yung challenge sa mga Muslim. They can’t just eat anywhere because they want to look for Halal,” she added.
(That is the challenge for Muslims because they cannot just eat anywhere because they look for Halal.)