Puerto Princesa seeks halal certification ahead of BIMP-EAGA Games

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – The city government here is working on receiving its halal certification among other preparations being undertaken ahead of hosting the 11th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games in December.

Demetrio Alvior Jr., chief of the City Tourism Department (CTD), said Thursday that organizers of the sporting event need to meet specific requirements, particularly because most of the delegates to the games are from Muslim countries.

The friendship games are scheduled for Dec. 1-5, but this early, the local government is already deep in preparations for the event, he said.

“The only challenging part for us is accommodating those coming from Muslim countries since we don't have many halal restaurant here. However, we already have strategies in place to address this. We are seeking assistance from Muslim associations in the city,” Alvior explained in Filipino.

On May 16, Commissioner Walter Torres of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) turned over the official friendship games flag to Mayor Lucilo Bayron.

The ceremony was witnessed by PSC directors Anna Christine Abellana and Merlita Ibay, along with lawyer Gregorio Austria, head of the City Sports Office.

Alvior said the federation handling the friendship games initially wanted all food to be halal and uniformly served to all Muslim delegates, regardless of the hotel they are staying in.

Halal is an Arabic word meaning "permissible" or "allowed" under Islamic law.

The concept of halal extends beyond food to include other areas such as medications, cosmetics, and financial products, all of which must adhere to Islamic rules to be declared halal.

“This is a significant and somewhat delicate event, but it's also a test to see if we are serious about advancing in sports. We need to participate in these major events to identify what we still lack and what needs improvement,” Alvior added. (PNA)