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FIRST NATIONAL HALAL CONFERENCE SLATED ON DECEMBER

Written by Office on Muslim Affairs

Thursday, 02 October 2003

The Office on Muslim Affairs, under the Office of the President, is set to hold on December 5, 2003, i! ts First National Conference on Halal Food and Non-Food Products at the Hotel InterContinental Grand Ballroom , Makati City. This was announced yesterday by Undersecretary Datu Zamzamin L. Ampatuan, currently the OMA Executive Director, after meeting recently with representatives from the different Muslim organizations and communities who are urging OMA to help strengthen the halal certification and accreditation in the country. “Halal” and “haram” are terms used by Muslims to categorize foods. Halal, as defined are foods that allowed or acceptable for Muslim consumption. In contrast, haram are foods specified or mentioned in the Qu’ran or by Hadith as unlawful for consumption. “The recent Supreme Court decision declaring Executive Order No. 46, as unconstitutional will actually strengthen the Philippine halal industry because said decision identified areas where the government should focus its resources with regard to halal certification,” Ampatuan said. E.O. 46, authorized the OMA to regulate and monitor Muslim religious and private organizations in their issuance of halal certifications. The Supreme Court recently ruled that E.O. 46, is invalid because it violates the separation of the Church and State and that the government can not intervene in the affairs of the private religious organizations in their issuance of halal certificates. The High Tribunal also ruled that since halal-determination is essentially a religious activity, the OMA as a government institution can not assume the role of the religious sector. “The OMA actually has been consistently adhering to the principles set forward by the Supreme Court’s decision with regards to the separation of Church and State even before said decision came out this year,” Ampatuan said. Ampatuan revealed that the Administrative Order he issued implementing the then E.O. 46, left the halal-determination to the religious sector and no government official or employee does the halal-determination. “OMA merely does the administrative and technical components of the halal activity which are limited to laboratory analysis, sanitary hygiene and ocular inspections, which are all non-religious,” Ampatuan said. “Once all the non-religious components are fully satisfied, the OMA then endorses the products to the religious sector for them to decide whether said products comply with the Islamic principles on halal,” Ampatuan added. A three-day exhibit starting from December 3, to 5, 2003, will coincide with the conference where halal-certified companies will showcase their facilities and products to the public. The exhibit will be held at the Glorietta Activity Center, also in Makati City. The halal food sector is deemed to be a fast-growing industry, with Muslim population statistics and projections showing an increasing consumer base for halal products. Realizing the opportunities and gains the halal food industry has to offer, the Philippines has started to jump-start its halal food sector by convening major halal players and stakeholders to study and discuss the prevailing halal issues facing the country. The OMA, being the sole government agency tasked to handle Muslim affairs in the country, is authorized by law to protect and advance the interests of the Filipino Muslims. End. Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Hits: 313 Trackback(0) TrackBack URI for this entry Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Website Title Comment smaller | bigger Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage. Write the displayed characters Add Comment

 

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