ARMM eyes halal industry dev’t to lift poor

• Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1421477583083/armm-eyes-halal-industry-dev-t-to-lift-poor
• Thursday, November 3, 2016

By Rene V. Carbayas (ALT/RVC/PIA9-Basilan)

ISABELA CITY, Basilan (PIA) – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is bent on developing the potential of halal industry in the region to boost economy and alleviate people from poverty.

Science and Technology Regional Secretary Myra B. Mangkabung said that Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman has reconstituted the Halal Industry Development Inter-Agency Technical Working Group (HID-IATWG) in order to harmonize all efforts and related activities pursued by the halal body and stakeholders.

“The regional governor finds it imperative to institutionalize the ARMM HID-IATWG and the Halal Industry Development Executive Committee to sustain its activities and to attain its goals and objectives,” Mangkabung said.

The creation of the HID-IATWG saw the need to revitalize the industry and make it an effective strategy to alleviate people from poverty. The regional government tasked the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-ARMM to spearhead the TWG and enable the halal industry to take off.

Recently, DOST-ARMM gathered the TWG member-agencies for the three-day strategic planning workshop in Zamboanga City to review the Halal Industry Development Plan of the region and expedite the implementation of programs that would accelerate the industry.

The development of Halal Food Industry in the ARMM has been one of the earliest priorities and continuing concerns of the regional government. Since then, leaders believed that in order to muster the synergy of all the sectors into one common socio-economic force, a program that best suits the region must be drawn and built upon the socio-cultural and resource advantages.

The formulation of the Regional Halal Food Industry Development Plan (2009-2011) served as the master plan under the Ampatuan administration and was one of the very valuable outputs of the HID-IATWG and the Provincial Halal TWG that complement the region’s socio-economic development plan and other existing plans. However, not much development was seen in the industry.

With the recent development in the global Halal industry, that halal is beyond food and beverages but also of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, logistics and services, the ARMM HID-IATWH saw the need to sit down and work together to come up with a more responsive and realistic halal plans for the ARMM.

Halal, according to Republic Act No. 10817, refers to lawful or permissible under Sharia’h (Islamic Law). But, aside from its religious connotations, ARMM is hoping that stakeholders would look at halal with economic potentials as well that may provide the key to lift the people from poverty.