Malaysia celebrated its 67th national day in the Philippines, affirming its commitment to the principles of unity and peace, and reflecting on the outsize strides it has made with the republic with which it has a long history of being Asean neighbors and partners.

“Our partnership has grown and prospered in tourism, trade and investment, education and many other sectors,” noted Ambassador Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino on the anniversary reception in Makati on Wednesday.

Malaysia remains a key tourism market for the Philippines, its 10th-largest source of international visitors.

From January to August, the Philippines welcomed 64,422 visitors from Malaysia.

Last month, Malaysian universal bank Maybank became the first private commercial bank in the Philippines to offer Shariah-compliant banking services, having opened an Islamic banking window at its Zamboanga branch to meet the demand of the Muslims there.

In its pilot program, the branch will initially provide Islamic current accounts and deposits while looking into new Shariah-compliant options in the future

The bulk of Filipino Muslims reside in Zamboanga, comprising 37.6 percent of the city’s population, with the population expected to reach 1 million in 2025.

“Malaysia and the Philippines have created synergies in areas of strategic importance, such as SME development, renewables, digitalization, arts and culture. The embassy has been bullish in its efforts to help develop the halal ecosystem in the Philippines, particularly in Mindanao.”

Malaysia has been productively supportive of the Philippine Halal Development Strategic Plan, seen to “establish the Philippines as a premier halal gateway and destination in the region.”

The plan, acknowledging the massive potential the halal economy holds, is deemed to bring in P230 billion in investments and generate 120,000 jobs in the next four years.

The size of the global halal food market has reached $2,221.3 billion in 2022, and is pegged to reach $4,177.3 billion in 2028.

One of the top producers of halal food worldwide, Malaysia has volunteered its experience to train officials and workers in the Philippines in this field, especially in the Bangsamoro.

Malaysia is set to hold its International Halal Showcase from 17 to 20 September in Kuala Lumpur.

Last weekend, Malaysian artists flew in for an art exposition in Makati that celebrated the 60 years of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and the Philippines.

The relationship between the Philippines and Malaysia was formally established in 1959, when the Philippines put up a delegation in Kuala Lumpur, which formally became a consulate in 1964.

The national flowers of Malaysia and the Philippines, bunga raya and sampaguita, were incorporated into the 60th anniversary logo unveiled earlier by the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to mark the milestone anniversary.