PUTRAJAYA, July 27 – Malaysia and the Philippines need to be more effective in penetrating the Middle East’s halal industry market. Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, stated that this matter was discussed during a bilateral meeting with Philippine President, Ferdinand R Marcos Jr, at the Perdana Putra building on Wednesday. “We touched on the potential of the halal industry between both countries, especially in terms of halal certification,” he said in a joint statement here. During the meeting, both nations also discussed efforts to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly in trade and investment.
“Filipina has its own economic strength in the capacity of the business sector,” he said. He believed that the business community should seize the opportunity to further develop bilateral relations and economies while revitalizing the economies of both countries post the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the two leaders also discussed the issue of Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya ethnic group. “Finally, we discussed the Joint Commission Meeting (JMC) which will be held at the end of this year to expedite several Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreements,” he said.
Meanwhile, Marcos stated that the JMC would be held in October to allow government agencies from both countries to engage in more detailed discussions, especially in areas such as transnational crime, agriculture, halal industry, Islamic banking, education, tourism, culture, sports, and digital economy. “We will also continue cooperation involving MoUs that will be signed in the near future,” he said. He added that the Philippines and Malaysia were also committed to coordinating efforts to develop the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in southern Philippines.
This serves as one of the initiatives to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. “Among the sectors that can be explored together are the halal industry, Islamic banking, and food security,” he said. He further clarified that Malaysia offered its expertise in training Filipino officers and personnel to strengthen their capabilities in crucial sectors. On the other hand, Marcos stated that his official visit to this country not only demonstrated Malaysia’s importance as a neighboring country but also further strengthened the relationship between Malaysia and the Philippines, especially with the approach of the 60th anniversary of the two countries’ official diplomatic relations next year.
Earlier, Marcos was welcomed at the Istana Negara for his first visit to Malaysia for three days starting yesterday. His arrival, along with his wife, Louise Araneta-Marcos, at 11 a.m., was greeted by Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, and Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
