The Philippines is actively seeking collaboration with Arab countries to bolster its local halal industry and empower Filipino entrepreneurs, according to the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) in a report on Arab News.
Manila is keen on significantly expanding the country’s halal sector, aiming to attract 230 billion pesos ($4 billion) in investments and create 120,000 jobs by 2028.
The global halal market, estimated to be worth over $7 trillion, offers vast potential for growth.
In 2024, the NCMF established the Halal Division within its Bureau of Muslim Economic Affairs focusing on enhancing collaboration with Arab countries to accelerate the country’s ongoing halal initiatives.
“We are hoping that Arab countries, like Saudi Arabia, can offer us training on developing their halal ecosystem or consider investing here to establish a halal hub,” said Hamdan Moslem, a development management officer at the bureau in the same report.
“Saudi Arabia is a promising partner to begin with,” he added.
The NCMF also highlighted the need fot Muslim Filipinos to understand the comprehensive nature of the halal ecosystem. “Halal encompasses almost everything—cosmetics, food, travel, fashion,” he said.
In January, the DTI launched a strategic plan to further develop the halal industry.
“As we prepare our country to become a halal gateway and destination in the Asia-Pacific, we must upskill our human resources through capacity-building and raise more awareness,” Aleem Guiapal, DTI Halal Industry Development program manager told Arab News.
“We will be more proactive and aggressive in promoting a halal-friendly Philippines in both domestic trade and international economic missions,” he added.
