  Harko and Moraes claim that in $f(R,T)$ gravity with $f(R,T)=f_1(R)+f_2(T)$,
the term $f_2(T)$ cannot be incorporated in the matter Lagrangian ${\cal L}_m$.
A careful examination of their Comment finds that they have made several
dubious assumptions without indicating any errors in our work. Most notably,
they have unjustifiably claimed that the two terms ${\cal L}_m$ and $f_2(T)$
are of ``different origin,'' and their inference that only the first
contributes to the energy momentum tensor is arbitrary. Also significant, their
derivation of equations of motion from a Lagrangian formulation, imposing
conservation constraints {\it ad hoc} rather than via Lagrange multipliers,
leads to inconsistent conclusions.
