Halal Verification Laboratory of Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) inside Bangsamoro Government Center in Cotabato City under renovation.
COTABATO CITY—Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) has procured high-end equipment and state-of-the-art technology worth Php47 Million for Halal verification testing upgrade under the Bangsamoro Standards and Halal Testing Laboratories (BSHTL).
The equipment procured were Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry-FID (GC/MS/FID), Gas Chromatography Triple Quadruple Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS/MS), Liquid Chromatography Triple Quadruple Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), Graphite Furnace-Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (GF-AAS), and RT-PCR.
These equipment are capable of ethanol analysis, gelatin analysis, pesticides residue analysis, minerals in food, heavy metals in food and water, meat authenticity, and porcine DNA detection in meat-based products.
Meanwhile, to accommodate the equipment and laboratory upgrade, the MOST is currently renovating its building, particularly the Halal Verification Laboratory (HVL) inside Bangsamoro Government Center in Cotabato City.
The renovation, which costs Php500,000.00, is expected to be finished by July 2021.
Minister Aida Silongan said this project fulfills one of the MOST’s mandates to strengthen the development of Halal industry through testing, analysis, and capacity building.
The HVL of the ministry is one of the four (4) Halal laboratories in the Philippines. The other labs are located in Laguna (DOST-CALABARZON), Koronadal City (DOST-12), and Davao City (DOST-11). These four (4) laboratories are members of the DOST/MOST Halal Verification Laboratories Network.
The RA 10817 (also known as the “Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act of 2016”) mandates the inclusion of the Halal program in the agency plans and programs of different government agencies that have jurisdiction and can contribute to the growth of export of Halal products, processes and services. (Bangsamoro Information Office)
