16 Philippine establishments now ‘halal’-certified, says DOT

Halal-conscious local and foreign tourists no longer need to worry about where to eat when they travel in the country, after the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) declared last week 16 establishments as halal-certified out of the 43 that applied for such certification.

These are Berjaya Hotel; Marriott Hotel (Metro Manila); Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan; Dusit Thani Manila; Marco Polo Davao; Pearl Farm Beach Resort on Samal Island; Hijo Estate Resorts in Davao; Zabadani restaurant in Davao; FB Hotel in Koronadal City; Greenleaf Hotel General Santos; Hotel San Marco General Santos; Villa Margarita Hotel Davao; Tinhat Botique Hotel and Restaurant Davao; Al Sultan Restaurant Davao; Southern Philippines Medical Center Davao; and Family Country Inn & Hotel General Santos (Davao).

According to the Halal Choices website, when related to food, halal—which simply means “permitted” or “lawful”—means any food that’s allowed to be eaten according to Islamic Sharia law. It said that ”for any food to be considered halal, it must comply with the religious ritual and observance of Sharia law.”

If a food item is certified as halal, it means that it “has been subjected to approved certification systems, which guarantee to consumers that nothing in the food has any forbidden component,” the website said.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said in his speech at the unveiling of the halal-certified establishments that his department is looking at having 60 to 70 applicants for certification by the end of May.

He described the unveiling as being successful in terms of having created halal awareness.

“Why is this (halal awareness) important? Because it’s a given in Filipino culture that the best and most important welcome (that a visitor can experience involves) food, and if you are not halal-certified…you are not extending a proper welcome,” Jimenez explained.

“We are here today because we fulfill our mandate and our nature as Filipinos to make our brand of welcome,” he added.

Besides unveiling halal-certified establishments, the DOT, in cooperation with Crescent Rating, the globally recognized independent rating and accreditation standard for Muslim-friendly travel services, is expected to launch a Muslim visitors’ guide to the Philippines at the Second International Halal Tourism Conference in Turkey next month.

“We will include a list of mosques, cultural centers, (and) slaughterhouses in the guide. Of course, traditional sights and attractions in each destination that should be made available to the halal-conscious traveler will be there, too,” Tourism Assistant Secretary Arturo Boncato Jr. said.

“The guide will answer (these) questions: How to get there? How much (do) you need to spend? What to be aware of? Since we are not a (predominantly Muslim) country, we have to explain (these) to Muslim travelers,” he added.

The DOT aims to get a 10-percent increase in the number of travelers from predominantly Muslim countries or markets following the unveiling.

“We hope we get a 10-(percent) to 13-percent increase for this year from those markets,” Boncato said.

As for receipts, Jimenez said the goal is to get at least 10 percent of the total tourism-generated income from Muslim travelers from Southeast Asia, which constitutes roughly 20 percent to 25 percent of the global halal market.

“It is reckoned that Southeast Asia is good for at least 20 (percent) to 25 percent of the global halal market. That’s roughly $50 billion a year…. If (we) get only 10 percent of that, that is twice the income we have now,” Jimenez said. PNA WITH TMM