The three-day Philippine Halal Trade and Tourism Expo (PHTTE) opened at the SMX Convention in SM Lanang Premier on Thursday.
The expo is spearheaded by the Universal Islamic Center and the Davao City Halal Industry Development Council, in partnership with the City Government of Davao, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Department of Foreign Affairs, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), and the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) of the DOT.
The PHTTE is aimed at developing and marketing of the Halal ecosystem, facilitating business meetings and plenary sessions, as well as integrating Halal commerce into mainstream markets.
Thursday’s launching was attended by the NCMF Commissioner Atty. Michael Mamukid, TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Nograles, MinDA Secretary Maria Belen Sunga Acosta, Rep. Alberto Ungab, Davao City Chamber of Commerce President John Carlo Tria, diplomatic corps of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, city councilors, department heads, and other officials.
Universal Islamic Center Founder and President Marilou Ampuan welcomed institutional partners, stakeholders, investors, and guests to the expo’s opening. Ampuan said the expo’s main goal since its inception in 2015 is to spread awareness of the Halal ecosystem in the country.
Rep. Ungab, reading Mayor Sebastian Duterte’s message, thanked the Universal Islamic Center and the Davao City Halal Industry Development Council for bringing the PHTTE to Davao City. He said the expo brings the city closer to achieving its goal of becoming the Halal center of the country.
“The significant increase in demand for Halal products and services in the country is a testament to our (local government’s) commitment to promoting high-quality Halal products and services that will cater to the needs of local consumers, tourists, and stakeholders,” Ungab read.
Acosta, on the other hand, said MinDa is scaling up partnerships with local government units and industry players to make Halal certification of local products easier.
She added that there is still much to be done to bring Halal products to the mainstream market in the country and dispel any erroneous assumption of the Halal way of production.
“We have to intensify our Halal promotion campaign because there are still segments of the population who have limited knowledge of Halal. Part of improving the Halal system is through education and awareness targeting the wider public,” said Acosta.
The expo currently features 42 exhibitor booths of mostly MSME participants from the local producers of coconut, cocoa, banana, coffee industries, growers and dealers of tropical fruits and vegetables, traders of organic, and natural health products/supplements, cosmetics, merchants of apparel & accessories/jewelry (pearls and precious stones), textiles, fabrics, food, coming from the Davao Region, Lanao del Norte, Cotabato City, and other Mindanao areas. CIO
