JOLO, Sulu, Philippines (PIA) - The provincial government of Sulu is committed to provide an all out support in the promotion, sale, consumption, and development of the local business industry of halal certified food, non-food products, and services in this part of the country. The commitment was made by Sulu Gov. Abdusakur M. Tan in a message delivered by ACC executive director Fazlur Rahman Abdulla, during the Halal Orientation and Consultation Forum held at the Area Coordination Center in Patikul, Sulu, recently. The whole-day affair was highlighted with the commitment of the local business sector to provide halal goods and services, with some seven business establishments who were signifying intention to secure halal certification. Halal is an Arabic word, which means lawful or permitted in Islam. At hand to give a comprehensive orientation of halal were speakers from the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board, Inc. (MMHCBI), headed by Dr. Norodin Kuit, lead Halal auditor of MMHCBI; Ustadz Abdulsalam Alabat; and Ustadz Sharif Jul-Asiri Abirin.
The latter is currently the Sulu Provincial Mufti and chairman of MMHCBI Provincial Committee. Some 92 participants attended the forum, where majority of them were from the business sector, to include: wholesaler and retailers; vendors, traders and barter traders; and caterers and food establishments. Other participants included representatives from the business sector, consumer groups, the academe, government line agencies, local government units (LGUs), the Ulamas (religious), the military, and the Joint Special Operation Task Force-Philippines. In a phone patch interview, Mercia Alli, halal focal person of the Department of Agriculture-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DA-ARMM) Sulu said that the forum aimed to provide a holistic orientation on halal products and services, on the existing state laws and agencies involved, on the domestic and international business potentials - with the end view of getting the commitment of all sectors in the promotion and consumption of halal certified products.
''Our advocacy for our religious leaders is for the integration and discussion on halal in their sermons during Friday congregational prayers,'' Alli said. ''On the other hand, we saw the need for some policy formulation for the protection of halal consumers and guidelines for halal entrepreneurs, which the local government can provide,'' Alli added.
