Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

20" CONGRESS
Ist Regular Session

nouse sui no4317

Introduced by Representative SITTIE SHAHARA “BAI DIMPLE” |. MASTURA.

AN ACT
CREATING THE HALAL CERTIFICATION AND REGULATORY BOARD, DEFINING ITS POWERS
AND FUNCTIONS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

EXPLANATORY NOTE
in to the “Halal” industry fittingly described

ion-dollar opportunity — the label

as an economic opportunity the Philippines can and should no longer ignore.

Under Islamic dietary laws, “halal” is an Arabic term which means “permissible” or “lawful”,
and refers to anything that is allowed under “Shariah”, and while “halal” is more often than

actually includes all products and life choices that comply with

not associated with food,
established Islamic principles.

As an emerging key player in the global halal industry with a market estimate of at least forty
ed that the

(40) to one hundred (100) bi

1n pesos annually, it has been deemed recog!
thriving Muslim population, continuous government support, and rising consumer awareness

are key factors that drive the growth of this industry.

Nevertheless, as expected there would always be challenges along the way that we need to
address such as limited awareness and understanding of halal standards, certification issues
and traceability concerns if we are to take advantage as well of the appurtenant opportunities

that such development brings about.


Many of our small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have limited knowledge of the
requirements to produce and market halal-certified products which causes significant supply
‘gaps similar to that we experienced in 2022 wherein we imported $120 million worth of halal

products.

This bill therefore seeks to address the need for a unified certification of halal products,
processes and services in the country to improve the current halal ecosystem considering that
these gaps were clearly identified during implementation of the provisions of Republic Act No.
10817 otherwise known as the “Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Program

Act”.

In view of the above, passage of this bill is earnestly sought.



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

20" CONGRESS
Ast Regular Session

wouse sur wo.43 17

Introduced by Representative SITTIE SHAHARA “BAl DIMPLE” !. MASTURA

AN ACT
CREATING THE HALAL CERTIFICATION AND REGULATORY BOARD, DEFINING ITS POWERS
AND FUNCTIONS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress Assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the Halal Certification and Regulatory
Board Act of 2025.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — The State recognizes the right to the free exercise of religion,
and to this end, shall endeavor to protect the beliefs, customs and traditions of Muslim Filipinos, by
ensuring the integrity of halal-certified products, promote and pursue the development of the
Philippine halat industry, and enhance our competitiveness among local, regional and international
markets.

Towards these goals, the State shall establish a sole halal certifying agency of government and
establish a unified, credible, and efficient system for halal certification while abolishing the current
system where there operates halal certifying bodies.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. ~ For purposes of this Act:

(2) Certification refers to the attestation of conformance to standards and guidelines related
to products, processes, systems or persons;

(b) Halat refers to lawful or permissible under Islamic law;

(c) Processes refer to a set of interrelated or interacting activities which transforms inputs to
outputs;

(a) Products refer to food and nonfood items produced by human or mechanical effort, or by
a natural process, or a combination thereof, and marketed or sold as a commodity;

(e) Recognition refers to the acknowledgement of the validity of a conformity assessment
result provided by a person or body; and

(A) Services refer to an intangible result of at least one (1) activity performed by a supplier or
provided for a customer.


SEC. 4, Halal Certification and Regulatory Board. ~ To ensure the attainment of this Act, there
is hereby created the Halal Certification and Regulatory Board (HCRB) which shall be attached to the
National Commission for Muslim Filipinos (NCMF).

The HCRB, in coordination with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(BARMM), Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
and the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS), shall be responsible for developing a national standard
for halal certification,

All entities intending to operate as providers of halal products, processes and services shall
obtain certification from the HCRB. Any product, process or service not bearing the certification of the
HCRB shall be considered non-compliant to halal standards.

SEC. 5. Powers and Functions of the HCRB. - The HCRB shall have the following powers and
functions:

(2) Formulate and enforce national halal certification standards in accordance with Islamic
principles and international benchmarks that shall cover procedures to determine
continuous compliance;

(b) Monitor, inspect and evaluate applicants for halal certification pursuant to a new halal
certification standard and process that shall be developed for the purposes of this Act;

(c) Develop a National Halal Certification Registry;

{d) Coordinate with international halal certification organizations for mutual recognition and
best practices;

{e) Suspend and revoke halal certifications previously granted in the case of non-compliance;

(f) Conduct training and awareness programs related to halal; and

{g) Promote and enrich the halal industry in the local and international setting.

‘SEC. 6. Composition of the HCRB. ~ The HCRB shall be composed of nine (9) members:

(a) Chairperson who must be a Muslim, appointed by the President, upon the
recommendation of the NCMF;

(b) Two (2) representatives from the BARMM;

(c)_ Representative from the Department of Trade and industry;

{d) Representative from the Department of Agriculture;

(e) Representative from the Food and Drug Administration;

(f)_ Representative from the Department of Science and Technology; and

{g) Two (2) Muslim professionals from the academe, law, industry, or food science who have
experience in halal industry development, to be appointed by the President from at least
four (4) nominees recommended by Muslim Filipino people’s organizations and
nongovernment organizations.

SEC. 7. Applicability of Consumer Protection and Copyright Laws and Regulatory Agency
Charters. - The relevant provisions of consumer protection and copyright laws, and their implementing
rules or orders, as well as the charters of regulatory and standard setting agencies shall be applied in
the implementation of this Act to ensure compliance with Philippine national halal certification
standards and the use of the halal logo. Nothing herein shall be construed as limiting any department,
‘agency or bureau from imposing, applying or enforcing the necessary fines and penalties under these
laws.


SEC. 8. Appropriations. ~ The initial amount necessary to implement this Act shall be charged
against the current appropriations of the NCMF and other involved agencies. Thereafter, such sums as
may be needed shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 9. Transitory Provisions. - The accreditation function of the Philippine Accreditation Board
as provided under Republic Act No. 10817 is hereby repealed. All accreditation and certification
activities and records shall be transferred to the HCRB. All entities that have previously been granted
halal accreditation or certification shall undergo recertification in accordance with a transition plan to
be developed by the HCRB in consultation with halal industry stakeholders. Furthermore, the transition
plan shall provide for the eventual centralization and consolidation of all certification activities in the
HCRB, and the phasing out of all previously accredited halal certifying bodies.

SEC. 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The HCRB, in consultation with concerned
government agencies, Muslim Filipino organizations, and Halal industry stakeholders, shall issue the
implementing rules and regulations of this Act within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act.

SEC. 11. Separability Clause. — If any provision of this Act shall be held unconstitutional or
invalid, the other provisions not otherwise affected shall remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 12. Repeating Clause. ~All laws, decrees, orders, issuances, rules and regulations or parts
thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 13. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,