Amidst overcast skies and scattered rainshowers, the Department of Agriculture turned-over various farm machineries and inputs for the rehabilitation and recovery of Marawi City, under the Bangon Marawi initiative of the Duterte Administration.

Standing in for DA chief Manny Piñol, Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan on December 27, turned over packages of agri-fishery assistance to help families affected by the conflict in Marawi, which lasted for five months.

The interventions include farm equipment and machineries amounting to more than P39.98 million, turned-over to the Department of National Defense (DND) to speed up recovery and rehabilitation efforts.

Under President Duterte’s directive, DA and DND will collaborate to implement and ensure the swift re-development of farms and agricultural lands affected by the conflict.

As such, DND will form an Army Agricultural Engineers Company, composed of soldiers who will operate farm machineries and lead the rehabilitation of food production areas in Marawi and its adjacent towns.

During the event, DND Sec. Delfin Lorenzana received from the agriculture department 100 and 35 horsepower hand tractors, combine harvesters, corn shellers, rice threshers and water pumps.

DA also awarded various rice and seeds, and other farm inputs to farm-families amounting to more than P3.637M.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, on the other hand, turned over P1.2M-worth of fishery assistance which include 60 non-motorized fiberglass boats, 60 units of gill nets and operating capital amounting to P2,500 each for the 60 beneficiaries.

The agri department has been closely coordinating with the Task Force Bangon Marawi, together with the Departments of Social Work, Trade and Industry, Technical Education Skills Development Authority, and the National Housing Authority, among others, to speed up the recovery of Marawi City. ### (odarodriguez/DA-AFID)