Western Mindanao State University (WMSU), in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region IX, hosted the Halal Summit 2024 on October 28 at the Dr. Juanito A. Bruno Gymnasium. Titled “𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲: 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬,” the summit aimed to bring together key players, academics, and industry leaders to discuss the growth and future of the halal sector in the Philippines.

 

In her opening remarks, Dr. Teresita A. Narvaez, Vice President for Resource Generation and representative of University President Dr. Ma. Carla A. Ochotorena, warmly welcomed resource speakers and participants, expressing heartfelt gratitude for their presence and commitment to the summit. She acknowledged their valuable contributions and underscored the importance of their participation in advancing the discussions and objectives of the event.

 

Asso. Prof. Gladess A. Pagal, Project Leader of the Establishment of Halal Dressing Plant for ZamPen Native Chicken Project, emphasized the summit’s role in exploring, advancing, and expanding the halal industry on a global scale. She noted that this event comes at a pivotal time, as the halal sector continues to evolve, driven by increasing demand for halal-certified products and services worldwide, fueled by factors such as population growth, ethical consumption trends, and the need for high-quality, halal-compliant goods across multiple industries, from food and pharmaceuticals to tourism and logistics.

 

Mr. Ricardo J. Apolinario III, Assistant Regional Director of DOST IX, also delivered an opening message, underscoring the government’s commitment to supporting the halal industry’s growth as a vital part of the local and national economy.

 

The morning sessions featured a series of insightful presentations and discussions on groundbreaking innovations in halal food processing and product development. In the first plenary presentation, esteemed 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢 𝐓𝐮𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐚 shared their expertise. 𝐃𝐫. 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐥𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢 𝐀𝐛𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐡, Head of the Department of Technology and Natural Resources, delivered an in-depth presentation on 𝑹𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒍 𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, highlighting strategies for balancing texture, quality, and compliance to meet halal standards in food products. Additional sessions included 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒚𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒍 𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 by 𝐃𝐫. 𝐍𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐡 𝐁𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢 𝐀𝐛𝐮 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐫, Head of Program (Food Technology), and 𝑭𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝑪𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑮𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓, led by Senior Lecturer 𝐃𝐫. 𝐅𝐚𝐳𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐳𝐳𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢 𝐀𝐛𝐮 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐫, which provided valuable perspectives on how functional foods and advanced processing techniques can drive the halal industry forward.

 

A panel discussion, moderated by 𝐃𝐫. 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐂. 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬, Regional Director of DOST XI, brought together leaders from various fields to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the Philippine halal industry. Dr. Sales highlighted the various initiatives under DOST’s Halal Science and Technology (S&T) Program, which aim to support halal certification, enhance industry standards, and foster innovation in halal research. Panelists included 𝐌𝐫. 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐦 𝐍𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐌𝐫. 𝐑𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧, 𝐌𝐫. 𝐉𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐁. 𝐊𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐫. 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐫 𝐎. 𝐇𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐧, who shared insights on regulatory compliance, market expansion, and cross-border alignment for halal products.

 

The afternoon sessions covered a wide range of topics, from halal ethics and business integrity to halal slaughtering practices. 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐤𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐢 of UZCP spoke on 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚, and 𝐌𝐫. 𝐀𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢 𝐀. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐧 from NMIS IX presented on 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔, highlighting the importance of ethical standards in the industry.

 

One of the summit’s highlights was a series of presentations on research and development in halal, particularly within local industries. 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐌𝐚. 𝐉𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐲𝐧 𝐄. 𝐂𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐚, Chief of the Native Chicken R&D Center at WMSU, led a session on ZamPen Native Chicken, showcasing innovative approaches to halal poultry production. 𝐌𝐬. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐧 𝐁. 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞, Project Leader of the Establishment and Practicing Halal: Compliance and Challenges in ZamPen, presented on Halal R&D Accommodation and Food Establishment. Additionally, 𝐌𝐫𝐬. 𝐑𝐮𝐛𝐲𝐳𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐀. 𝐀𝐥𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐮𝐫𝐮 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 discussed 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒖𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈.

 

To close the summit, 𝐃𝐫. 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐊. 𝐘𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 spoke on 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒍 𝑮𝒐𝒂𝒕 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, providing insights into livestock practices that adhere to halal standards. 𝐃𝐫. 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐆. 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨, 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐋, delivered the closing remarks, expressing optimism about the future of the halal industry and emphasizing the importance of inclusivity, transparency, and global reach.

As the day concluded, attendees were encouraged to collaborate and work towards a future where halal products and services adhere to the highest standards and remain accessible to communities worldwide. The event ended on a hopeful note, with participants looking forward to an enduring halal industry built on integrity, quality, and innovation. (LMP, PAO)