TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
SENATE 
S. No. 16
25 JUL-2 P4 :28
Introduced by Senator Robinhood Padilla
AN ACT
MANDATING THE UNIFIED CERTIFICATION OF HALAL PRODUCTS, 
PROCESSES AND SERVICES IN THE PHILIPPINES, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
In 2016, Republic Act No. 10817 otherwise known as the "Philippine Halal 
Export Development and Promotion Program Act" was enacted to lay down a 
comprehensive framework for the development and promotion of halal products for 
export. As part of the export development and promotion program, the law mandated 
the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Board (Halal Board) to be the 
policy-making body on the halal export development program, and the Philippine 
Accreditation Bureau (PAB) to grant or deny the accreditation of halal certification 
bodies.
In a 2022 Policy Brief by the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative 
and Development Studies (UP CIDS) that tackled the legal and institutional ecosystem 
of halal in the Philippines, it has been observed that R.A. No. 10817 opens the 
possibility of a halal industry that is operated by non-Muslims to the detriment of halal 
products' marketability due to (1) the composition of the Halal Board, which is only 
assured of having three Muslims out of its eleven members, and (2) the focus on the 
commercial and marketing aspects of the Philippine Halal Industry instead of the need 
to maintain the spiritual integrity of halal products.


In a 2023 hearing of the Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim 
Affairs, another issue raised was the lack of a unified halal standard.1 An attendee 
representing the Alliance for Halal Integrity in the Philippines (AHIP), a halal-certitying 
body (HCB) in the Philippines, stated that there is "no uniformity in the auditing or 
inspection process, be it from start to finish and in-between the processors/producers' 
entire operations"2 and to seek accreditation is "voluntary from the side of an HCB 
because there is no regulation or sanction regarding being with or without 
accreditation."3
The global halal market is valued at $7.7 trillion covering the food, cosmetics, 
tourism, banking, and pharmaceutical industries4, and as the Philippines positions itself 
to be a key player in the global halal market, much needs to be improved in the current 
halal ecosystem considering the foregoing gaps identified after years of 
implementation of R.A. No. 10817.
In light of these considerations, the prompt enactment of this bill is strongly 
recommended.
tfOOD PADILLA
Senator
1 Diampuan, P. (2023, November 23). Gaps in the halal industry in the Philippines: Call for legislating 
Philippine Halal Authority. BusinessWorld Online.
https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2023/11/24/559365/gaps-in-the-halal-industry-in-the-
philippines-call-for-legislating-philippine-halal-authority/
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Trinidad, B. (2025, April 16). Beyond food: How the halal market is quietly transforming beauty, 
tourism and more. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/2025/04/17/2436715/beyond-food- 
how-halal-market-quietly-transforming-beauty-tourism-and-more


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE 
S. No. IB
25 JUL-2 P4:28
Ri’C:;,'
Introduced by Senator Robinhood Padilla
AN ACT
MANDATING THE UNIFIED CERTIFICATION OF HALAL PRODUCTS, 
PROCESSES AND SERVICES IN THE PHILIPPINES, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the "Philippine Unified Halal
2 
Certification Act".
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. — The State recognizes the religious diversity of
4 
the Filipino people and the constitutional right to free exercise of religion. To this end,
5 
the State shall endeavor to protect the rights of Muslim consumers, ensure the
6 
integrity of halal-certified products, promote the competitiveness of the Philippine
7 
halal industry, and foster trust in local and international markets.
8 
Towards this end, the State shall establish a unified, credible, and efficient
9 
system for halal certification, and abolish the system of accrediting numerous halal
10 
certifying bodies in favor of a sole supreme halal certifying agency.
11 
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. — For the purposes of this Act:
12 
(a) Certification refers to the attestation of conformance to standards and
13 
guidelines related to products, processes, systems or persons.
14 
(b) //<?/?/refers to lawful of permissible under Islamic law;


15 
(c) Processes refer to a set of interrelated or interacting activities which
16 
transforms inputs to outputs;
17 
(d) Products refer to food and nonfood items produced by human or
18 
mechanical effort, or by a natural process, or a combination thereof, and
19 
marketed or sold as a commodity;
20 
(e) Recognition refers to the acknowledgment of the validity of a conformity
21 
assessment result provided by a person or body; and
22 
(f) Services refer to an intangible result of at least one (1) activity
23 
performed by a supplier or provider for a customer.
24 
Sec. 4. Haiai Certification and Regulatory Board. — To ensure the attainment
25 
of this Act, there is hereby created the Halal Certification and Regulatory Board (HCRB)
26 
which shall be attached to the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF).
27 
The HCB, in coordination with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim
28 
Mindanao (BARMM), Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS), Food and
29 
Drug Administration (FDA), and the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BAFS), shall be
30 
responsible for developing a national standard for halal certification.
31 
All entities intending to operate as providers of halal products, processes, and
32 
services shall obtain certification from the HCRB. Any product, process, or service not
33 
bearing the certification of the HCRB shall be considered non-compliant to halal
34 
standards.
35 
Sec. 5. Powers and Functions of the HCRB.—The HCRB shall have the following
36 
powers and functions:
37 
(a) Formulate and enforce national halal certification standards in accordance with
38 
Islamic principles and international benchmarks that shall cover procedures to
39 
determine continuous compliance;
40 
(b) Monitor, inspect, and evaluate applicants for halal certification pursuant to a
41 
new halal certification standard and process that shall be developed for the
42 
purposes of this Act;
43 
(c) Develop a National Halal Certification Registry;


44 
(d) Coordinate with international halal certification organizations for mutual
45 
recognition and best practices;
46 
(e) Suspend and revoke halal certifications previously granted in the case of non-
47 
compliance;
48 
(f) Conduct training and awareness programs related to halal; and
49 
(g) Promote and enrich the halal industry in the local and international setting.
50 
Sec. 6. Composition of the HCRB. — The HCRB shall be composed of nine (9)
51 
members:
52 
(a) Chairperson who must be a Muslim, appointed by the President, upon
53 
recommendation of the NCMF;
54 
(b)Two (2) representatives from the BARMM;
55 
(c) Representative from the Department of Trade and Industry;
56 
(d) Representative from the Department of Agriculture;
57 
(e) Representative from the Food and Drug Administration;
58 
(f) Representative from the Department of Science and Technology; and
59 
(g)Two (2) Muslim Filipino professionals from the academe, law, industry, or food
60 
science who have experience in halal industry development, to be appointed
61 
by the President from at least four (4) nominees recommended by Muslim
62 
Filipino people's organizations and nongovernment organizations.
63 
Sec. 7. Appiicabiiity of Consumer Protection and Copyright Laws and Regulatory
64 
Agency Charters. -The relevant provisions of consumer protection and copyright laws,
65 
and their implementing rules or orders, as well as the charters of regulatory and
66 
standard setting agencies shall be applied in the implementation of this Act to ensure
67 
compliance with Philippine national halal certification standards and the use of the
68 
halal logo. Nothing herein shall be construed as limiting any department, agency or
69 
bureau from imposing, applying or enforcing the necessary fines and penalties under
70 
these laws.
71 
Sec. 8. Appropriations. — The initial amount necessary to implement this Act
72 
shall be charged against the current appropriations of the NCMF and other involved


73 
agencies. Thereafter, such sums as may be needed shall be included in the annual
74 
General Appropriations Act.
75 
Sec. 9. Transitory Provisions. — The accreditation function of the Philippine
76 
Accreditation Board as provided under Republic Act No. 10817 is hereby repealed. All
77 
accreditation and certification activities and records shall be transferred to the HCB.
78 
All entities that have previously been granted halal accreditation or certification shall
79 
undergo recertification in accordance with a transition plan to be developed by the
80 
HCB in consultation with halal industry stakeholders. Furthermore, the transition plan
81 
shall provide for the eventual centralization and consolidation of all certification
82 
activities in the HCB, and the phasing out of all previously accredited halal certifying
83 
bodies.
84 
Sec. 10. Impiementing Ruies andReguiations. — The HCB, in consultation with
85 
concerned government agencies, Muslim Filipino organizations, and Halal industry
86 
stakeholders, shall issue the implementing rules and regulations of this Act within
87 
ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act.
88 
Sec. 11. Separabiiity Ciause. — If any provision of this Act shall be held
89 
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions not otherwise affected shall remain in
90 
full force and effect.
91 
Sec. 12. Repeaiing Ciause. — All laws, decrees, orders, issuances, and rules
92 
and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
93 
repealed or modified accordingly.
94 
Sec. 13. Effectivity Ciause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
95 
its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general
96 
circulation.
Approved,