The unveiling of the official national Halal logo during the 2nd Philippine National Halal Conference in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga. (PIA photo)
The Philippines now has its official national “halal” logo.
Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez led the unveiling of the official logo during the plenary session of the 2nd Philippine National Halal Conference at Clark Freeport Zone.
Lopez, also the chairman of the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Board, said “the logo underwent various consultative meetings with relevant stakeholders, including Muslim religious groups, conducted by the Halal Export Board-Technical Working Group.”
He said the logo would be in one color for labels to minimize printing costs, but would have a full-color rendition on printed materials.
The Philippine halal logo will be issued to a product or service certified as Halal by the Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) – accredited Halal Certification Body. The standards are set by the Philippine National Halal Certification Scheme and other related laws. “Halal” means “permissible” under Islamic law.
The conference at Clark free port was part of the government’s preparation for the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games later this year, which the country will be hosting. The SEA Games is expected to host a large number of Muslim athletes and visitors who would be looking for halal-certified food and services while in the country.
The halal logo is expected to make products and services more attractive to Muslim customers especially near and around the venues of the SEA Games. (Rommel F. Lopez)