AFTER receiving its Halal certification in August 2022, Secretary Suharto T. Mangudadatu, the Director General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), along with officials from various regions, visited the Institute of International Culinary and Hospitality Entrepreneurship (IChef)-Joji Ilagan International Schools. They witnessed the state-of-the-art Halal Kitchen and other advanced facilities of the first Halal culinary school in the Philippines.
The Technical Exchange on Halal Program, held on Thursday afternoon, September 7, 2023, is a crucial element of the Director-General's 10-point agenda to enhance culinary education quality in the Philippines. Tesda regards IChef as a vital partner in achieving this objective.
"To become accredited, [institutions] should be reliable, effective, and standard. The credibility of Joji Ilagan to task this is world-class. Joji is advanced," he said.
The secretary clarified in his address that Halal encompasses more than just Islam-related cuisines, dispelling a common misconception.
"Not only when we say Halal connotation to Islam, but Halal is for clean and proper handling of the tools prepared and unique food processing. It is about making healthy food for our kababayan (fellow). Halal is for everybody," he said.
Dr. Gypsy Mae B. Casurao, Director of Ichef Innovations Excellence, underscored the pivotal steps taken on this Halal journey. She explained that they established a foundation, facilitating their acquisition of the Prime Expert accreditation from Dubai.
"With the full support from the top management, we prepared all that we needed. From the finalization of our food safety and halal assurance system, developing our manual, our Policies and Procedures, standard forms, establishing our PRP (re-requisite programs), HACCP Plan (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points Plan), training of personnel (through the help of DOST-11) and setting up our halal kitchen," she said.
Prime Group is a leading provider of quality and compliance solutions across Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. The group has earned the industry's trust, issuing over 1 million certifications.
Beginning May 27, 2022, Ichef forged a partnership with the Universal Islamic Center, represented by their President, Ms. Malou Ampuan, who also serves as a JIB Industry Advisory Board member. Later that same year, the Department of Affairs (DFA) included IChef Halal Kitchen as a destination for 28 Philippine Ambassadors in December.
In May 2023, deputy mayors from the 11 Tribes of Mindanao visited and inspected the Halal Kitchen facility.
According to the latest report, the IChef Halal program has enrolled 30 culinary students. The program conducted initial screenings, requiring students to possess basic culinary skills to participate.
Currently, the institution is exploring potential collaborations and partnerships with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Tourism (DOT), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and IChef-Tesda as the first Halal Training and Certification bodies.
IChef now proudly is the first certified Halal culinary institution in the country, accredited by Prime U.A.E in Dubai.
"Choosing our programs at IChef will allow participants to be in an exclusive group of aspiring culinary professionals with access to the most sought-after halal cooking techniques and knowledge," Casuaro said. DEF