The Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) conducted a webinar titled “Philippine – Brunei Trade and Investment Opportunities in Halal,” with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) – Singapore, Philippine Embassy in Brunei, and the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC) on September 3, 2020.
“This activity is part of the continuing efforts of the Philippines and Brunei to implement key projects jointly agreed under the memorandum of understanding on Halal cooperation, which was signed by both countries in 2017,” said DTI Undersecretary for Trade Promotions Abdulgani Macatoman.
The webinar was graced by His Excellency Christopher Montero, Ambassador of the Philippines to Brunei Darussalam, and Yang Mulia Pengiran Hajah Zety Sufina binti Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Sani, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Brunei Darussalam.
Brunei Darussalam BIMP-EAGA Business Council Deputy Chairman Zailan Mohd Don shared a strategic development plan where all BIMP-EAGA countries will have a specific part in the global value chain. In the plan, the Philippines will serve as the manufacturing and logistics hub and Brunei will be the Halal trading and services hub.
According to Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Halal Food Industry Development Zamzamin L. Ampatuan, to be a successful manufacturing hub, there should be more investments in halal infrastructure like slaughterhouses. He said that there is a need to have more category AAA abattoir, or slaughterhouse facility in the Philippines, which are needed for the country to export halal meat.
Slaughterhouses are categorized as “A,” “AA” and “AAA”, where “A” means a slaughterhouse can cater to the city or municipality, “AA” for the domestic market, and “AAA” for international markets.
Undersecretary Ampatuan urged participants not to forget about the local halal consumer and that “successful countries who have penetrated the global Halal market have satisfied their local consumer base.”
Raul M. Regondola, chairperson and administrator Special Economic Zone Authority and Freeport in Zamboanga City, invited investors to put up facilities in the 100-hectare Asian Halal Center in the economic zone. To attain the center’s long-term plan to become a provider of high-quality halal food products, he is looking for investors in AAA poultry slaughtering and dressing plants as well as cold storage facilities.
Meanwhile, Dr. Thaqifa Saliha binti Haji Mohd Salleh of Brunei’s Halalan Thayyiban Research Centre presented the latest technologies available for evaluating the safety and quality of Halal products and the importance of building integrity in the Halal value chain. Halal value chain is the end-to-end process, or activities, of product, or service development, including production, marketing, and the provision of after-sales service.
Philippine exporters’ from food and personal care sectors, Marichu Edralin of Doxo Trading, Elizabeth Mondejar of Alter Trade Philippines, Henry and Mary Jane Raca of C and H Cosmetics Industry and a Bruneian restaurateur Ardy Haji Abdul Momin of Bay 91 Café, also shared how DTI helped them grow their businesses.