DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 August) – Some 150 representatives from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) will meet at the Manila Hotel on August 20 for a trade, investment, and halal industry conference to discuss the potentials of developing the Halal industry here.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is expected to grace the event.
Joji Ilagan-Bian, chair of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)’s BIMP-EAGA committee, told the “Business Matters” media forum last Friday that the “1st PCCI BIMP-EAGA Trade, Investment, and Halal Industry Conference” intends to gather all key players from this region to bolster the development of Halal in the Philippines, particularly in Mindanao.
She said the chamber sees “bright spark for Mindanao” to capitalize on the huge investment and market opportunities for Halal since it has a thriving agricultural sector, including, among others, banana, pineapple, and livestock as the “food basket” of the country.
The business leader said that she hopes to generate more interest from the private sector on Halal.
“The problem is we need to trickle it down to the private sector, especially to the businessmen. Their understanding of Halal is very narrow, very little, or very limited. They need to understand that we are selling Halal as a lifestyle, whether we are Christians or Muslims,” she said.
Among the key leaders attending the conference are BIMP-EAGA signing ministers — Dato Seri Setia Dr. Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew Bin Abdullah, minister of Finance and Economy of Brunei Darussalam; Airlangga Hartato, coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of Indonesia; Rafizi bin Ramli, minister of Economy of Malaysia; and Secretary Leo Tereso Magno, chair of the Mindanao Development Authority.
Bian added that developing the Philippine Halal industry would be beneficial to Mindanao since it would be the country’s gateway of trade and investment among member states of the BIMP-EAGA.
Bian added that Manila is hosting the conference to promote BIMP-EAGA to the entire Philippines since most of the key business players and government leaders are based in Luzon and Visayas.
“Now, we have seen in the past that to be able to improve transportation we needed to have increased volume. That’s why we need to bring it to Manila because in attendance are all business leaders, and chambers of commerce presidents and officers are based in Manila and Visayas,” she said.
She added that the chamber wants to encourage more business leaders to partner with businesses in Mindanao to reap the benefits of BIMP-EAGA, a 30-year-old sub-regional economic cooperation initiative in Southeast Asia designed to spur economic development in the lagging sub-economies.
“It is Mindanao that will benefit because we are the gateway. Everything that will come from them will have to pass through our ports,” she said.
According to a briefer issued by the PCCI, the conference also aims to serve as a platform to foster economic collaboration and investment opportunities within the BIMP-EAGA area, particularly in the promotion of new investment opportunities and export development.
It also intends to harness the potential of the halal industry amid the growing global demand for Halal products and services and to enhance regional economic cooperation as it seeks to facilitate trade and investment opportunities, which foster economic growth and development.
It said the forum will serve as a gateway for investors to explore the diverse investment opportunities available in the BIMP-EAGA region, particularly Halal industry. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
