The city government of Cotabato is
persevering to pursue the “highly urbanized halal hub” status for Cotabato City
in the next years.
With the recent development in the local
economic activities and the relatively peaceful environment in Cotabato City,
the local government is working double time to multiply its growth and be able
to compete in the global arena.
City officials headed by City Mayor Atty.
Frances Cynthia J. Guiani-Sayadi is in constant communication with both local
and foreign private companies that have expressed their intent to invest in the
city and put up several commercial establishments here.
One of the biggest investors will come from
the People’s Republic of China who will be putting up solar powered street
lamps and will be offering affordable deals on solar power to local consumers.
Other investors are eyeing the establishment
of franchise hotels, restaurants, telecommunications, and other commercial and
service providing companies.
In the 56th Regular Meeting of the
Regional Development Council XII, recently hosted by Cotabato City, Mayor
Guiani-Sayadi announced the possibility of building a skyway in Cotabato City
very soon to address its worsening traffic situation.
This skyway will traverse across Cotabato
City, from its entry points in the north and south. This will be the biggest
infrastructure project in the city in the last few decades.
Also reported by the city mayor is the
proposed sisterhood between Cotabato City and the city of Bandung, Indonesia.
Both cities have remarkable similarities, especially in their strong cultural
heritage, economic strategies, and leaders having strong political will in
running the government.
This sisterhood relationship will be
beneficial to both cities as they will have the chance to exchange ideas
regarding their best practices and be able to apply these in their own
localities.
“Cotabato City is now moving forward. We are
already thinking global. This may be one giant leap and we are taking it with
full confidence and strong will. I know that with the support and cooperation
of our people and our partners in the government and private sector, we can
achieve all our plans,” Guiani-Sayadi
said.
With the rising trend in the global demand
for halal products, Cotabato City is seen to be the country’s “halal hub.”
With half of its population comprising of
Muslims and with the establishment of the
AA-standard Halal Slaughterhouse, the country’s only and soon to be
upgraded to triple A or export-quality standard, Cotabato City has already
complied with almost all of the ingredients required for a city to become a
halal hub.
First of these ingredients is the local
government unit serving as the enabler. The local government, with the active
cooperation between the executive and the legislative departments, must be able
to craft local laws that will be conducive for the halal industries to grow.
The second is the presence of an institution that will serve as the adviser. In
Cotabato City’s case, the Darul Ifta will be the one to provide opinions and
guidelines to the implementation of the halal.
Third is the presence of a “watchdog” and
that role will be played by the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certifying Board that is
also based in Cotabato City. Fourth is the sustainer of the supply chain which
will be played by the Tabun Halal Multi-purpose Cooperative. This organization
will be the one to ensure that the supply for halal products will always meet
its demand by connecting the traders with the producers.
The fifth ingredient of a successful halal
hub is the presence of an Islamic financing institution. Islamic financing is a
system of financing that is consistent with the Shariah principles. It
prohibits the specific interest or fees to money loans. Instead, it introduces
principles such as Mudharabah or
profit-and-loss sharing between the two parties and Musharakah or joint venture.
City Administrator Dr. Danda N. Juanday said,
as of now, Cotabato City doesn’t have an institution involved in Islamic
financing but there are groups or organizations that are now offering Islamic
micro-financing.
“This is already the beginning. We can make
use of these groups and start small. All other ingredients are already present
in Cotabato City and we should already act and work on it if we really want to
be known as a halal hub,” the city administrator said.
With Islam as the world’s second biggest and
the fastest growing religion, companies offering halal products and services
have already reached a profit of about one trillion dollars every year.
Cotabato City targets to attract Muslim tourists who want to visit the
Philippines and look for a place where they can experience genuine halal.
To further realize this and expand the market
of Cotabato City, plans of establishing an economic zone is already in the
works. The city government is now crafting a proposal to be submitted to the
Office of the President to declare Cotabato City as a free port to make
importing and exporting halal products easier for investors.
An area for possible expansion and
establishment of an economic zone has already been identified. Once this is
established, Cotabato City can venture in inviting in Business Process
Outsourcing like call centers, engage in medical tourism, agro-industrial
tourism, and other light and eco-friendly industries.
“Others may say that this is still a long way
to go but that should not stop us from moving. We have already slowed down
enough and now is the time to run. There is no room for doubt if we really want
to be at par with the other highly urbanized centers in the country,” Guiani-Sayadi
said.
During the celebration of the Shariff
Kabunsuan Festival, the City Government of Cotabato, the Darul Ifta, Muslim
Mindanao Halal Certifying Board, and the Tabun Halal, signed a Memorandum of
Understanding that states each of these institutions’ roles in launching
Cotabato City as a halal hub. (Halima
Satol-Ibrahim)
