COTABATO CITY – Health authorities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) said they are certain that Coronavirus vaccines delivered to them are ‘Halal’ or permissible to the Islam faith.
“Muslim prefer Halal”, stressed Dr. Amirel Usman, acting head of the BARMM health office.
“However, the Islamic body may allow the use of any vaccines since it is a human health necessity and for health protection,” he added.
Usman said they were assured by the Department of Health central office that BARMM is assured of “CoronaVac,” a vaccine manufactured by the Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac.
“I was told that ‘halal’ vaccines have arrived in the country. We are just waiting for its distribution to BARMM,” Usman added.
Sinovac is “halal” as certified by the Indonesian halal certification body, while the Philippine halal certification board can certify AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines once they are made available in the Philippines.
The health ministry has embarked on a massive information drive to educate the Bangsamoro people that the anti-Covid vaccines are safe and halal.
“We need to educate our people so they will not resist vaccination like all other our vaccination programs, which were welcomed by the people,” Usman said, adding that the region is ready and storage facilities for the vaccines are in place.
He said there is no specific date yet on the arrival of vaccines and the date of mass vaccination in the BARMM.-Edwin Fernandez
