By Manny Piñol
Officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will visit four provinces in two days, starting today, following a directive by President Rody Duterte to deliver assistance to farmers and fishermen affected by Typhoon Vinta.
The two-day sortie begins this morning in Ditsaan-Marain in Lanao del Sur where the BFAR, headed by Undersecretary Eduardo Gongona, will turn over to Lake Lanao fisher folks 160 fiberglass fishing boats.
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries of the ARMM (DAF-ARMM) will also seed Lake Lanao with an initial 2-million Tilapia fingerlings.
A start-up capital of P2,500 will also be given by DAF-ARMM under Regional Secretary Alexander Alonto to each family which will get a fiberglass fishing boat.
The DA-BFAR team will proceed to Lala, Lanao del Norte after lunch for a dialogue with local officials and stakeholders in agriculture and fisheries.
Seeds, fertilizers and initial insurance payments for crops destroyed by the typhoon will also be released.
On Friday morning, the team will be in Molave, Zamboanga del Sur for another face-to-face caucus with farmers of Salog Valley.
In the afternoon, the team will fly to the town of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte for another caucus with local leaders, farmers and fishermen.
Sibuco town Mayor Bong Edding reported heavy casualties in his town due to flash floods.
The schedule of engagements for two days starting today was agreed upon during a meeting with the Regional Directors of DA and BFAR, along with BFAR Undersecretary Gongona, on Jan. 2 in Davao City shortly after I arrived from a private trip to the U.S. during the holidays to visit an ailing friend.
(Photos of the Mindanao REDs with Undersecretary Gongona, FMRDP Director Romirose Boloron and myself were taken in the Roadhouse Restaurant in SM Ecoland Davao on Jan. 2. Photos downloaded from the Facebook Page of Director Carlene C. Collado, DA Region X)
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