I sent this letter to the Sultan of Brunei last year:
February 22, 2007His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah,the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.Warmest Greetings of Peace!Re attached News Item on Brunei’s plan for a Halal Food Processing Plant:Allow us to offer Davao City as the site for this investment.Davao City is the largest city in southern Philippines and acts as the de facto center of the BIMP-EAGA. The Asia Institute of Management (AIM) has named it as the most competitive metropolitan city in the country.It has excellent supply for halal meat products. The city has a Halal Food Council. The city is free from hoof-and-mouth disease and free from bird flu virus.It has excellent labor force in the food processing industry manifested by the presence of big food processors with ISO standards.It has air and sea links with its neighbors in the BIMP-EAGA region.Moreover, the city government offers fiscal and non-fiscal incentives on top of the tax holidays provided by the national government through the Board of Investments. Part of our non-fiscal incentives is to help potential investors look for suitable sites, local suppliers, local managerial and labor force, process various government regulatory permits, among others.Should you wish to come to see what our city can offer, feel free to contact us. We shall be most happy to assist you.Thank you very much.Councilor Peter Tiu LavinaChair, City Council Committee on Trade, Commerce & IndustryRoom 3, SP Bldg., Davao City
I cced Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.
I am glad that his office is pursuing the plan for the halal food processing center here in Davao.
5:56 a.m.
August 30, 2008 at 1:41 am
this is good for local employment and for the food industry in Davao who is planning to make their products HALAL certified…
August 31, 2008 at 9:11 am
sir,
maayong buntag
the point is no matter how far we ask foreign countries to do business here if we cannot persuade local entrepreneurs to look into the potentials, wala lang gihapon. I have known of this campaign since the creation of the BIMP-EAGA in 1994 and the efforts and resources that Vic Lao, now the chair of the MinBC has put into it.
The point here is that i think local investors like Vic Lao must put the foundation of the investment before we call in other countries to join the game. The Halal certification is just one part of the equation. And even that, the government, both local and national have failed.
A united front is needed in this