DAVAO CITY -- Stakeholders have agreed to broaden the Mindanao Collective Trademark (MCT) to include labels of compliance with a number of international standards such as halal, organic and the Global Good Agricultural Practices (G.A.P.).

Mindanao products on display during the Zamboanga Peninsula Trade Exposition held in Zamboanga City in October 2015.

-- Carmencita A. Carillo

These “value-added” marks will be made part of the protocol for certifying products from Mindanao that will carry the MCT brand, according to Undersecretary Janet M. Lopoz, executive director of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).

“This was the turnout of a series of training-workshops and consultations conducted among the stakeholders... They are also eyeing the inclusion of the fair trade, sustainable forest products and friends of the sea for those exporting marine products,” Ms. Lopoz said.

The workshops were conducted last year in four key Mindanao cities -- Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, and Zamboanga -- as part of the MCT program that is being undertaken with assistance from the European Union (EU)-funded Trade Related Technical Assistance Project 3.

“The next step is to negotiate with the issuer of these certifications to be included in our protocol before giving the Mindanao trademark,” she said.

MinDA representatives are meeting this week with the Philippine Accreditation Bureau under the Department of Trade and Industry and donors for possible collaboration for funding, capacity-building and benchmarking.

By the end of February, MinDA is aiming to meet with Control Union, a global network for inspections and certifications.

“MCT is really very timely because the requirements of the international market are changing and now they are looking for certification,” she said, citing in particular the member nations of the EU.

With the MCT, she said, Mindanao products will now have “a sense of traceability and guarantee of safety and quality,” which is what the European market requires.

MinDA sees the MCT as a tool for helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) break through to the international market.

“By establishing a collective trademark for products originating in Mindanao, MinDA will be able to provide a comprehensive program for the distinct quality and increased competitiveness of Mindanao’s MSMEs,” Ms. Lopoz said.

Merly T. Cruz, MinDA consultant for international relations and the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines Growth Area, earlier said while scale, quality and delivery are indispensable factors in exporting, there is also an increasing clamor in the global market for information on the origin and components of products.

“The MCT comes as a symbol that embodies these four essential factors. It is a voluntary standard that will strengthen the enterprises and industries of Mindanao by ensuring their compliance with the demands of the world market,” Ms. Cruz said.

Original -> http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=&145mindanao&8217-trademark-for-halal-organic-produce&id=122008