Parliament Bill No. 441
First readingAn Act Institutionalizing the Bangsamoro Halal Festival to Promote the Islamic Cultural Heritage Through the Halal Industry as a Strategic Sector for Sustainable Economic Development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and for Other Purposes
Institutionalizes the Bangsamoro Halal Festival.
Filed
First ReadingNow
Second Reading — Committee
Second Reading — Plenary
Third Reading
Approved
Enacted
Filed and formally read into the record, then referred to committee. No debate has happened yet.
What this measure does
The Bangsamoro Halal Festival Act. It makes the Bangsamoro Halal Festival a yearly event, held in the month of Shawwal right after Ramadan or on a nearby date set by the Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism with the Bangsamoro Darul-Ifta'. Activities may include halal trade and investment fairs, sale of halal-certified goods, Islamic cultural performances, seminars on halal standards, business matching and culinary competitions. Section 2-A declares the festival a cultural, economic and tourism event that establishes no religion, and the bill states that it declares no holiday; any non-working day would need a separate proclamation by the Chief Minister.
It goes beyond the festival. MTIT must promote halal certification and give incentives to enterprises seeking it, and the Bangsamoro Government would offer fiscal incentives (tax incentives, certification subsidies, concessional and Islamic financing) and non-fiscal ones (training, priority in trade fairs and procurement, branding, and support for halal industrial zones, slaughterhouses and cold chains). It creates a Bangsamoro Halal Council chaired by the Trade Minister, with 5 other ministers, the Darul-Ifta', halal certifiers and private sector members, as the main policy body for the halal industry. Falsely presenting a product as halal-certified to join the festival leads to disqualification from the festival and other government programs.
It was filed on 11 March 2026 by MP Amenodin U. Sumagayan, MP Rashdi T. Adiong, MP Ahmad Amir A. Balindong, MP Amer Zaakaria A. Rakim and MP Alirakim T. Munder, and read on first reading on 30 April 2026. Parliament's index records no committee referral, and it has not moved since.
Why it was proposed
The explanatory note says the region's cultural, religious and economic life is rooted in Islamic principles, including halal standards in food, trade and lifestyle, and that the Bangsamoro Organic Law gives the region powers over culture, tourism, trade and industry, and Islamic banking. A yearly festival would showcase halal-certified products, promote local entrepreneurs, encourage tourism and give MSMEs, farmers and fisherfolk in the halal value chain institutional support.
Who it affects
- Halal producers, MSMEs, cooperatives, farmers and fisherfolk, who would get a yearly showcase and access to incentives.
- Businesses that falsely claim halal certification, who could be barred from the festival and other government programs.
- Visitors and the public, as a yearly event in the month after Ramadan.
Who would implement it
- Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism, as lead agency
- Bangsamoro Halal Council
- Bangsamoro Darul-Ifta' and recognized halal certifying bodies
Funding
Carries an appropriation. No amount is stated in the copy filed. Section 8 charges initial costs to MTIT's current appropriations and later costs to the annual Bangsamoro appropriations act. Section 8-A lets MTIT set up a Bangsamoro Halal Festival Fund that may take grants, donations, sponsorships and official development assistance.
What changes if it becomes law
- Nothing yet. The bill has been read on first reading and has not moved since.
- If enacted, the region would hold an official halal festival every Shawwal.
- A Bangsamoro Halal Council would become the main policy body for the halal industry, and MTIT would run a halal incentives program.
Raised during deliberations
No published record of the debate on this measure. Parliament’s journals cover sittings up to March 2023 only, and no committee report on it has been published.
What to notice
The title and the explanatory note are about a festival, but the bill also creates a standing Bangsamoro Halal Council to make policy for the whole halal industry, an incentives program with tax incentives and duty exemptions, and a halal export policy. A reader of the title alone would miss most of it.
It is not the only bill to build a halal body. Bill 475, filed on 16 July 2026 by MP John Anthony L. Lim and MP Mohammad S. Yacob, would create a Bangsamoro Halal Development Authority over halal certification and enforcement. MP Yacob is a co-author of this bill. Neither the Council here nor the Authority there is reconciled with the other. The copy filed names 8 co-authors; Parliament's index lists 13.
How to take part
Submit a position paper via the Parliament's Call for Position Papers page, or attend/watch the responsible committee's public hearings.
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