COTABATO CITY—Key officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and Marawi City have formally inaugurated a newly completed agriculture food terminal designed to reinvigorate entrepreneurial businesses that swiftly vanished following the infamous siege of the city by ISIS local affiliates in 2017.
BARMM Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform Minister Mohammad Yacop turned over the facility to City Mayor Majul Gandamra in formal ceremony last May 8 shortly after its completion as part of the complementary assistance of the regional autonomous government for rehabilitation and recovery efforts in the country’s lone Islamic city.
Earlier, the BARMM government had released funds for the reconstruction of basic infrastructures in the city ranging from a P400-million water supply systems across the city to a number of housing units for displaced residents, data from the regional bureaucracy showed.
During the May 8 symbolic ceremony, Minister Yacob echoed anew the commitment of the BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim for a continuing assistance to rebuild the city from the havocs of fighting between state forces and combined militants of Dawla Islamiya, particularly the Ghuraba (Maute bloc) and the Abu Sayyaf Group.
Minister Yacob lauded the project contractors, the Task Force Bangon Marawi and the city government for their diligent efforts in the completion of the agriculture food terminal at Barangay Poblacion on time.
“I would like to thank all the people behind the success of this project, especially the participation of the city mayor as the counterpart of the project,” he said.
Yacob pointed out that the project is part of the “priorities of the administration of Chief Minister Ebrahim” in helping rebuild the city.
Mayor Gandamra, in response, expressed his appreciation for the support extended by MAFAR, saying the facility would greatly benefit the city populace.
He also acknowledged the challenges the city had faced in the past, particularly the displacement of several business persons caused by the siege in 2017.
“You all know what happened in Marawi City before that resulted in the displacement of several business persons,” Gandamra said.
“This is what we need to complement the existing infrastructure like this provision of Marawi City Agriculture Food Terminal,” he added. (Kasan Usop, Jr./BIO with reports from MAFAR)
