MANILA, Philippines ? A former woman warrior of the country?s once largest rebel group has the answer to the needs of Muslim women who believe they are defying Allah?s teaching by using pork fat-laden skin care products: an Islamic ?halal? soap.

Bainon Karon, a former Moro National Liberation Front fighter, is marketing skin care products called ?Palamanis,? which she says has the religious feel permissible under the Islamic Law. The soap is without animal fats which Islam considers haram or forbidden.

?Most soap is laden with pork oils, a no-no for us Muslims, so I tried hard to look for a soap that is halal,? Karon says. ?Halal? is the Arabic term that means pure, and refers to a way of life that follows Islamic rules.

The potential market for halal soap in the country is huge, according to Karon. An estimated one million Filipino-Muslims reside in the country, and the goal of Palamanis is to reach out to them.

In Cotabato City and across the region, the product called Palamanis Papaya Whitening soap is carving out a niche to women and their entire brood.

?Most of our clients are women who are aware that not all soaps are Muslim-friendly,? says Karon.

Today, a growing number of Muslims are buying the soap, which Karon sees as an effort by her fellows to reconnect to their roots through what they eat and wear. ?This is a good sign for Palamanis to be confident in its marketing tool as it becomes an Islamic identity for soaps in the region.?

But the good returns in the business are not Karon?s main concern. Though there is a clear market for halal, she is not banking on its rising economic trend for personal lifestyles.

For her, Palamanis is not just a business but the larger goal is to respond to Muslim?s cultural requirement underscoring livelihood to her former colleagues in the mountains who gave up the armed struggle in exchange of the signed peace deal with the MNLF in 1996.

Birth of halal soap

Karon recalls her love-hate story with bath soaps: ?I?ve always wondered what it is in soaps that leave the skin greasy. Until I discovered that most soaps makers use animal fat as its common ingredient.?
She then searched for soaps that do not contain animal fats, but failed. Then a big idea struck her.

In 1999, Karon, as head of the Federation of the United Mindanawan Bangsamoro Women Multipurpose Cooperatives, she sent a proposal for soap production to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization which allotted P4-million to push for economic and capability skills of former women guerrillas.

When the proposal was approved, Karon, along with 30 former women warriors, went on study tour to various medium companies in the Visayas and major cities in Mindanao to get a deeper grasp of the business context.

While other member associations found good fortune in meat and fish processing, weaving, and furniture production, Karon came up with the perfect formulation of soap according to Muslim standards.

The Department of Health taught them how to make soap using papaya as the main ingredient, while the multi-donor United Nations? Act for Peace Program prepared mechanisms for the women to implement the project.

With 20 workers, the team came up with regular beauty soap that contains pure papaya extract, other fruit herbals, and essential coconut oil which Karon named Palamanis Whitening Soap, a soap for all skin types.

Through Palamanis soap, Karon was able to realize her dream of helping former colleagues in the mountains that she shares the same vision with. ?The business supports their families and develops their skills in entrepreneurship,? she says.

The workers devote their days to soap-making, a task they consider an enjoyable leisure-time activity inside a small room, according to Baiali Abdul, the administration officer of the women?s organization.

She illustrates how the soap is done: They dissolve lye in water, weigh out the coconut oil, stir until smooth, add the extracts, pour it into the pre-lined molds, they wait for it to harden, cut it into blocks, and in five to seven days, the orangey hues of the Palamanis whitening soap is ready.

The workers learned of the efficacy of the papaya whitening soap and first introduced the product to their friends and relatives. Word spread that the herbal soaps are effective in whitening skin.

?I?m always moved to hear straight from them about how the soap has helped them with their skin concerns because I know the feeling,? says Abdul.

The group?s soap production in a month reaches to about 5,700 bars, 900 bottles of dishwashing liquid, 1,050 bottles of fabric conditioner and 600 kilos of detergent powder which cost them nearly P300,000 with only a profit share of P74,000.

Today, the organization can now finance its operations since sales have consistently increased.

The group orders the papaya extracts and coconut oils and plastic containers from their network of suppliers from as far as Manila. Later, they added the dishwashing liquid, fabric conditioner, laundry powder, bleaching powder and perfume to the list.

Karon then showcased the products to relatives and friends, and joined bazaars. The group now boasts of over 50 resellers in Cotabato City alone, which they sell at a rate no more than what Karon has suggested.

The soap now enjoys profitability as it gained popularity among Muslims and Christians in southern Philippines.

In 1999, Miss Universe first runner-up Miriam Quiambao came to Cotabato City just to launch the soap. Today, their roster of clients includes high-ranking politicians, the rich and famous in the city, and even the Christian communities in the region.

Although Karon has always wanted to reach the big stores, her main goal now is for the Palamanis products to get the Bureau of Food and Drug certification, but this will fail them unless Karon finds donors to fund a production plant.

In 2003, the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board certified the Palamanis soap as first halal soap sold in the market. By having halal certification, Muslim consumers are guaranteed that the goods they buy and eat are prepared in accordance with Muslim tradition and religious requirements.

With its success in the industry, Karon says the local government had established links with other halal certifying bodies in other countries, especially in South East Asia.

?Eventually, businesses will see the benefits of going halal. The halal industry will play a big role in the region?s economy in the coming years,? Karon says.

Christian patron

Janet Dedicatura does not look her age. In her early 40s, her clear velvety skin radiates health. Her secret ? a wonder beauty soap which she hoards and piles in her dresser. Lured by women she never imagined could craft such a miracle, the soap never failed Janet since she started using it in 1999.

Today, even her entire brood uses the same soap which is now considered a regular sight in the bathrooms of every Muslim family across the Philippines.

One sunny Monday, reality hit her. She decided to stop getting stocks from a network of vendors spread around the city. Janet longed to locate where the soap is made and earn huge discounts at the same time. Janet pushed herself to a remote swampy village here where the soap suffered the birth pangs, and faced its boom owing to its large followers now. Thrilled, she bought in volumes for her home.

?Some will go to the Middle East and Singapore since friends know of the benefits I got from continually using the soap,? Janet says.

Only one woman is credited to her youthful, glowing skin ? Bainon Karon ? and Janet never ceases to thank her.