Manila, April 22 -- Some 15,000 Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Rosario, Agusan del Sur will directly benefit from the approved PHP54.5 million farm-to-market road (FMR) project, officials said Tuesday.

This development follows the signing of the implementation of the management agreement (IMA) on Monday between the Department of Agriculture in the Caraga Region (DA-13) and the local government unit.

"The signing of the IMA marks the commencement of the procurement, bidding and subsequent implementation phases of this vital project," Vernon Jio Viajar, head of the Media Production Office for the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP) of DA-13, explained in an interview on Tuesday.

Viajar said the imp...