Philippines' new autonomous region aims to be halal industry hub

TOKYO -- The autonomous government set to be established on the Philippine island of Mindanao next year will aim to be a hub for the halal industry in Southeast Asia, partly thanks to foreign investments from Muslim countries, its top official told Nikkei Asia.

"We are tying up with some companies ... in halal industry, especially from Malaysia and the Middle East countries," Murad Ebrahim, chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said in the interview, held on Tuesday in Tokyo. "We need to partner with countries already engaging in the halal industry."