DAVAO CITY, Philippines -Davao City’s slogan “Life is Here” is also seen in the diverse food and restaurant choices. From popular Korean to Chinese, even to Indian and European, international cuisines have a spot in the city.
But while international food gets the spotlight, Muslim food which has a market for the city’s Moro community, remains in the shadows.
One of the well-known communities of Meranaw people in Davao lies along the streets of Barangay 23-A Mini-Forest Boulevard, where one finds small eateries that cater halal food and the Meranaw’s regional cuisine.
Nihaya, 36, has lived in Mini-Forest for over three decades, and hears the sounds of the Adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, in the nearby mosque.
She also grew up with halal food in their area, with many food vendors preparing Meranaw dishes.
One of the most important ingredients in Meranaw cuisine is palapa, a mix of scallions, ginger, and chili. Nihaya said it’s not hard to find it in the neighborhood, especially when mobile vendors pass by frequently with ingredients and delicacies.
The vendors also offer dodol, a sticky sweet delicacy made of coconut milk, sugar, and rice flour, originally from Indonesia but widely loved in BARMM. Sometimes they also get lucky to find fresh harvests like scallions or cassava, straight from the source.
When asked how she chooses what to buy, Nihaya said it’s always best to buy from Meranaw sellers, especially those who cook it themselves, to be sure the food is really halal.
But even with that, availability can still be limited. Some traditional ingredients and native harvests are hard to find in Davao markets.
Another resident of Mini-Forest is Aliah Ambasador, 30, who grew up in Pagadian City in Zamboanga Sur but transferred to Davao ten years ago. She said that food is more expensive in Davao and harvests from her province, especially fresh cassava, are difficult to find.
While most Muslim residents cluster around Mini -Forest, others live in different parts of Davao where halal food is even harder to access.
Juna, 22, originally from Marawi City but has lived in Bankerohan for a decade, said that halal food options are very limited.
She said some eateries may claim to be halal, but for her, these stores think that halal means “no pork”, but that’s not enough.
Just like Juna, Aliah also finds it hard to trust ordinary products. She even avoids buying bread, unsure if the bakery uses lard instead of butter. Lard, which is oil sourced from pig fat, is “haram” or forbidden for Muslims.
“As Muslims, halal food is very important to us because it’s part of our faith and obedience to Allah,” explained Ustadha Saima Caidar, a female Muslim scholar. “It’s essential to know whether the food we consume has undergone the proper processes that make it certified halal.”
She pointed out that the lack of halal food stores in cities including Davao doesn’t always reflect discrimination. “It’s understandable that a city might not have that much halal food if Muslims aren’t the majority there,” she said.
Like many other Muslims, she expressed concern about the misuse of the halal logo, and how some food brands falsely claim to be halal. She emphasized that just because a product doesn’t contain pork doesn’t make it automatically halal. There are many other ingredients that can still make food haram.
The food website Halal Freak explained that the term “no pork” simply means that a food or product does not contain pork or pork-derived ingredients. But halal goes beyond that. It follows a full set of dietary laws in Islam, not just what is eaten, but also how it’s sourced, prepared, and processed. A product labeled “no pork” may still contain non-halal meat or additives like alcohol, which would still make it haram (forbidden).
For Professor Amenodin Masnar from the Mindanao State University Balindong campus, halal food deserves attention, especially in a country with a Muslim population.
“The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia, and naturally, they don’t limit themselves in selling haram food like pork,” he explained. “But at the very least, there should be a law preventing non-certified halal food from entering Muslim areas. Factories that use the halal logo should be closely monitored.”
Masnar also emphasized the need to strengthen the halal industry in the Philippines, especially in Mindanao, where there is an autonomous region, and Muslims live across Mindanao regions.
His point reflects the wish of many Muslims in Mindanao, especially in Davao City, as a major area where Muslim people reside for economic and educational opportunities, yet they find it hard to find their regional taste for the halal.(davaotoday.com)
