THE Department of Agriculture (DA) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are now preparing a joint rehabilitation program for conflict-stricken Marawi City and Lanao del Sur.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, who is currently in Rome, Italy, to chair the FAO Conference’s 40th session, said he has met with officials of the UN-attached agency to discuss the joint rehabilitation effort for Marawi City.
“Six days after Director General José Graziano da Silva of the FAO issued a commitment to support the Philippine government in the rehabilitation of conflict-stricken Marawi City and Lanao del Sur, senior officials of the organization met with the Philippine delegation to prepare the rehabilitation program for the area,” he said.
“Among the issues discussed were the synchronization of efforts between the Department of Agriculture [DA] and the FAO in implementing the rehabilitation program for agriculture and fisheries in Marawi City and Lanao del Sur,” he added.
Piñol, together with Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo Serrano; Rep. Jose T. Panganiban Jr., chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture; and Agriculture Attache Lupiño Lazaro, met with Kundavi Kadiresan and Dominique Burgeon of the FAO.
Kadiresan and Burgeon were directly involved in the rehabilitation and assistance efforts of the FAO to the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) and are also familiar with the situation in Mindanao, according to Piñol.
Piñol said the joint rehabilitation program would include the identification of farmers and fishermen who will benefit from the program. It also included the geo-tagging of their respective farmers and fishing grounds in Lake Lanao, the provision of seeds and farm inputs and support funds for livelihood programs, Piñol added.
“Also discussed…was the implementation of Project Basil, or Balik Sigla sa Ilog at Lawa, which involves the seeding of the 35,000-hectare Lake Lanao with fingerlings of indigenous and noninvasive fish species so that by November to December this year, Maranaw fishermen could start harvesting the fish,” he said.
“Fiberglass fishing boats will also be provided to the fishermen of the lake, while women will be taught on how to process and pack the fish catch to generate added value,” he added.
Piñol also said the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), an attached agency of the DA, has prepared a survival and recovery loan program for Lanao del Sur-based farmers and fishermen affected by the war.
The agriculture chief added the master plan for the rehabilitation of Marawi City and Lanao del Sur will be finalized when he returns to the Philippines next week.
“Copies of the Master Plan for Agriculture and Fisheries Rehabilitation will be submitted to President Rody Duterte to update him on the work of the DA and support organizations in ensuring that the people of Marawi City and Lanao del Sur will be able to recover immediately,” Piñol said.
He also disclosed that it was during a recent conversation with da Silva when the FAO pledged to extend assistance to the Philippines in rehabilitating conflict-torn areas in Mindanao, particularly agricultural ones.
“During the conversation the director-general assured me and our government that the FAO will come in and support our government in the rehabilitation of the conflict areas of the country, specifically where there is an ongoing battle between our government and ISIS extremists, which literally devastated agricultural areas,” Piñol said.
“I really appreciate this support for my country, for the Philippines. And I assured him I will immediately relay to my president, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, the offer of the FAO to assist in the rehabilitation of the conflict areas in the country,” Piñol added.
Earlier Piñol said he is “expecting” a positive growth for the farm sector in the second quarter on the back of the declaration of martial law in the Mindanao region.
Piñol said Mindanaoan farmers have started to go back to their farms, as they feel more secure with the presence of the Army in the area, protecting them from threats of the New People’s Army (NPA).
“I told the President that we are expecting a growth in agriculture due to the marial-law declaration. I based my projection on the NPA’s movements, which used to attack big agricultural companies or even small farmers, from whom they extort money in context of revolutionary tax, have been stopped due to martial law,” he said.
“Farmers have started to go back [to planting] and the big agricultural companies, like pineapple and banana, are not anymore complaning of NPA harassment. I believe there will be a positive growth for agriculture,” Piñol added.
Piñol said the declaration of martial law in the Mindanao region would give agricultural stakeholders in the area a sense and assurance of security for their investments and business operations.
“Because of the presence of the military right now, it will have a long-term effect. Even if the martial law is lifted after 60 days, the military will not be easily pulled out from the area,” he said.
“The long-term effect of that action is that the military has become visible in Mindanao. It will actually give more assurance of security to agricultural stakeholders,” he added.
The DA chief pointed out that the attacks of NPA on agricultural companies, such as those producing bananas, have resulted in reduced exports of the commodity.
“Davao, Cotabato and Bukidnon, these are the areas where the big agriculture companies—like Del Monte, Dole and Sumifru—are located,” Piñol said.
Lanao del Sur is part of the 10 identified priority provinces per year that will receive livelihood programs and other related support from the DA, amounting to at least P100 million.
Meanwhile, the National Food Authority (NFA) said it has already released a total of 9,917 50-kilogram bags of rice to various relief-giving agencies for distribution to victims of the conflict in Marawi City.
“From May 23 to June 28, the NFA released 6,067 bags of rice to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, with 600 bags withdrawn from NFA Misamis Oriental; 1,867 bags from General Santos City; 2,400 bags from Cotabato City and 1,200 bags from Maguindanao,” the NFA said.
“A total of 2,100 bags were issued to the local government unit of Lanao del Norte, while 1,000 bags were withdrawn by the Office of Civil Defense in Lanao del Norte [700 bags] and Region 14 or ARMM [300 bags]. Among other entities that bought NFA rice for their relief operations are the Office of the Vice President and the Office of the Legislators with a total of 750 bags,” the NFA added.
NFA Administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino said the agency has enough food-security stocks in the region and that the NFA is always ready to release rice anytime they are needed to feed the thousands of families and individuals displaced by the war against terrorists in Marawi.
Image credits: AP/Linus Guardian Escandor II