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Military unleashes nationwide offensive, scores of terrorists killed

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Nigerian military has recorded fresh successes in its ongoing nationwide offensive against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes, neutralising scores of terrorists, arresting dozens of suspects and rescuing several kidnapped victims within one week.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) disclosed the development on Friday, saying troops operating across multiple theatres sustained coordinated land and air operations between May 28 and June 4, dealing significant blows to criminal networks across the country.

Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja, said the military offensive targeted terrorists, kidnappers, gunrunners, economic saboteurs and other criminal elements threatening national security.

In the North-East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai arrested a suspected kidnapper, 10 terrorist collaborators and informants, while also rescuing five persons who escaped from terrorist enclaves. Troops further neutralised a terrorist and recovered ammunition, communication devices and other operational items.

In the North-West, troops under Operation Fansan Yamma eliminated three terrorists, apprehended a notorious terrorist kingpin and arrested additional suspects linked to terrorist activities. Security forces also recovered an AK-47 rifle, ammunition and dismantled several terrorist camps.

One of the most significant breakthroughs was recorded under Operation Savannah Shield, where troops successfully repelled an ambush in Niger State, neutralising scores of terrorists during the encounter. Security operatives also recovered 15 motorcycles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, while a wanted terrorist informant linked to previous attacks in Borgu Local Government Area was arrested.

In Kaduna State, troops of Operation Enduring Peace rescued five kidnapped passengers and evacuated two injured victims for urgent medical treatment.

Similarly, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke operating across Kogi, Nasarawa and Taraba states neutralised a terrorist, arrested 10 suspects and rescued two kidnap victims. Recovered exhibits included an AK-47 rifle, magazines, explosives, motorcycles and vehicles.

The military also recorded successes in the South-South region, where troops of Operation Delta Safe arrested seven suspected kidnappers and foiled planned abductions. Security operatives further apprehended suspects linked to the murder of a farmer during a failed kidnap operation.

In the South-East, troops of Operation Udo Ka arrested five suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), while successfully rescuing village chiefs who had been held hostage in Ebonyi State.

Maj.-Gen. Onoja said the operations had significantly degraded the operational capabilities of criminal groups and improved security across affected communities.

He assured Nigerians that the Armed Forces would sustain the momentum of ongoing operations until those held captive are rescued and criminal elements are brought to justice.

The defence spokesman also urged members of the public to continue supporting security agencies with credible intelligence, noting that timely information remains critical to the success of military operations nationwide.

He added that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, had commended troops for their courage, professionalism and commitment in the fight against insecurity across the country.

Premiere Academy students shine at 6th Abuja National Music Competition

The finals of the 6th edition of the Abuja National Music Competition have been held over the weekend. Participants from several Schools from the FCT and other states competed in various categories of the finals through vocal and instrumental performances, with winners carting home cash and other prizes.

Jaja Soibifaa and Iwugo Michael, two students of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja, emerged Star winners of the day as they were adjudged overall winners in the Vocal and Piano Categories, with each winning the N250,000 cash prize for their respective categories.

While Jaja Soibifaa carted home the Star Prize in the Vocal Category, Iwugo Michael defeated other competitors in the Piano Category.

The Abuja National Music Competition is aimed at fostering creativity among students aged 6-18 and dedicated to reviving the authenticity of Nigerian music by showcasing exceptional vocal and instrumental talents from primary and secondary schools across the country.

This year’s edition aimed to discover, support, and celebrate young musicians who demonstrate outstanding artistic mastery, while serving as a platform for exposure, promoting music education and performance across Nigeria.

It also afforded the students an opportunity to appreciate how healthy competition inspires creativity, with participants benefitting from professional mentorship, in addition to opportunities to perform before an expert jury of renowned music professionals and receive recognition and awards for their dedication and skill.

Speaking on the outstanding feats by Premiere Academy representatives in the Competition, the School’s Music Instructor and team Lead, Mr. Israel Olorundare, said the performances have once again showcased the musical excellence and talent of Premiere Academy students beyond the four walls of the academy.

Olorundare thanked the School Management and other members of staff for their dedication, support and guidance that contributed significantly to the outstanding achievement.

Nigeria trade surplus jumps to record on refinery boom, oil shock

Nigeria posted its largest merchandise trade surplus on record in the first quarter of 2026, as the twin forces of the Middle East war and the long-awaited ramp-up of the Dangote refinery fundamentally reshaped the nation’s export basket and slashed its fuel import bill.

The surplus soared to N7.5 trillion in Q1 2026, surpassing the previous record of N7.42 trillion set in Q2 2025, according to BusinessDay’s analysis of the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Total exports in the first quarter were valued at N21.1 trillion, a 2.7 percent improvement from the same quarter in 2025 against imports of N13.6 trillion, a 18.1 percent decrease from the value recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2025 and lowest on record since Q2 2024.

March 2026 was an outlier even within a blockbuster quarter. Exports hit N8.8 trillion, the highest single-month value in Nigeria’s recent history.

Analysts attribute this directly to the outbreak of war in the Middle East in late February, which triggered a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime passage for roughly 25 percent of the world’s oil trade.

‘Because of the blockade, demand for Dangote products, even to the United States, increased,’ Ayo Teriba, an economist, told BusinessDay in a phone conversation. ‘Countries that weren’t importing from Dangote before now do so to compensate for the loss of supply from the Middle East.’

For the first time, refined petroleum products including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), automotive gas oil (AGO), and kerosene-type jet fuel entered Nigeria’s top five exports, as per the NBS. Nigeria has famously been a net importer of these items.

‘You were not exporting those items at all last year. And now they dominate,’ Teriba said.

At the peak of the Middle East conflict in March, the Dangote Refinery quickly became a swing supplier.

As the war cut off cheap fuel imports from the Gulf and disrupted traditional energy routes, the 650,000-barrel-per-day Lagos facility doubled its domestic crude intake and increased exports across Africa and globally.

Taking advantage of war-related disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the refinery shipped millions of barrels of aviation fuel to the United States and made similar massive export pushes to Saudi Arabia.

The Hormuz blockade also drove oil prices past the $100 per barrel threshold. Nigeria, a major oil producer, stared at a windfall as other countries scrambled for the resource.

Yet, analysts believe it helped little to push up Nigeria’s export revenue due to the country’s inability to ramp up output.

‘Even if the price is high, you may still get disappointment,’ Teriba said. ‘Crude oil is higher, price is higher, but your output is less. You shoot yourself in the leg.’

Nigeria’s total crude output has continuously hovered around 1.4 to 1.5 million barrels per day, falling consistently short of the national budget targets and frequently struggling to hit OPEC production quotas.

Total crude oil exports stood at N11.2 trillion in Q1, up just 15 percent from the previous quarter.

Non-crude oil exports surged to N9.9 trillion, accounting for 47 percent of total exports.

Within that, liquefied natural gas and refined petroleum products alone were valued at N6.7 trillion, a 51.5 percent jump from Q4 2025.

‘We are beginning to see a structural shift in our exports,’ said Muda Yusuf, CEO of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE). ‘Before now, non-oil exports were basically cocoa and sesame seed. Now we are seeing fertiliser, urea and non-traditional exports.’

The record surplus was also a function of collapsing imports, which fell 18.2 percent year-on-year to N13.6 trillion. The most dramatic decline was in ‘other oil product imports,’ which crashed 85 percent, a direct consequence of Dangote’s local supply displacing foreign refined products, analysts believe.

‘For most of that period, Dangote was dominant in terms of supplying petroleum products,’ Yusuf noted. ‘That’s a sharp drop in our import bill.’

The war added further pressure on the import side. Shipping costs, marine insurance, and freight rates spiked following the Hormuz blockade, making imports from the Middle East prohibitively expensive or impossible.

India emerged as Nigeria’s top export destination, absorbing 13 percent of total exports, followed by France with 9.3 percent and the Netherlands 9.2 percent. The five leading destinations, including Spain and the US, accounted for nearly 45 percent of all exports. China remained the largest source of imports at 37.4 percent, followed by the U.S. at 20.6 percent.

But not all sectors benefited. Agricultural exports fell 31.2 percent year-on-year to N1.17 trillion, despite strong global demand for cocoa and sesame seeds. Manufactured exports remained modest at N302.6 billion.

Raw materials exports rose to N1.53 trillion, driven by urea shipments to Brazil and gold exports to Switzerland. Solid minerals exports jumped 74.6 percent to N102.8 billion. Total trade in the first quarter of 2026 was valued at N34.7 trillion, the lowest recorded in seven quarters, according to BusinessDay’s findings.

Gas-rich Nigeria missing out on big tech AI boom

For decades, Nigeria has flared billions of dollars’ worth of natural gas into the atmosphere, a symbol of misaligned incentives, underdeveloped infrastructure, and chronic underinvestment.

Now, as artificial intelligence rewires the global economy and sends power demand surging to levels that are straining grids from Virginia to Singapore, a debate is forming in boardrooms and government ministries alike on how Silicon Valley’s insatiable appetite for energy can finally be the catalyst that unlocks Nigeria’s stranded gas wealth.

Nigeria holds the largest proven natural gas reserves on the African continent, an estimated 209 trillion cubic feet, and yet has failed to convert that endowment into reliable electricity, industrial output, or export revenue at anything close to its potential.

Meanwhile, hyperscale data centres powering the AI models of Microsoft, Google, and Amazon now consume as much electricity as mid-sized nations, and their operators are scrambling for secure, affordable, long-term energy supply. The convergence of those two realities is beginning to draw serious attention.

‘No one questions Microsoft’s balance sheet. That changes the financing equation for Nigerian gas,’ said NJ Ayuk, executive chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

‘For the first time, African gas projects can potentially be underwritten by companies whose energy demand is as large and as strategic as entire industrial sectors,’ he added.

Historically, the financing of upstream gas development in Nigeria has been hobbled by a familiar set of obstacles, political risk premiums, currency volatility, and the lingering reputational damage from decades of oil spill litigation in the Niger Delta.

Read also: AI systems failing many global users have a data Problem, not technology – Analyst

International lenders have grown increasingly cautious, with many European development banks pulling back from fossil fuel financing under pressure from climate commitments. The entry of technology companies as potential off-takers, with investment-grade credit ratings, decade-long demand horizons, and strategic urgency, could rewrite those risk calculations entirely.

Africa currently accounts for only 0.6 percent of global data centre capacity despite housing nearly 20 percent of the world’s population.

Experts said that the gap is not merely an economic embarrassment but also represents a structural exclusion from the infrastructure layer on which the next generation of economic activity will be built: finance, logistics, healthcare, agriculture, all of it increasingly dependent on cloud computing and AI inference running through servers that, for most of Africa, sit on another continent.

Bukola Ajayi, general manager of architecture and enterprise IT at MTN Nigeria, said reliable electricity and connectivity are non-negotiable for AI readiness.

High-density racks and advanced cooling systems cannot operate consistently on unstable grids, she said.

Ayotunde Coker, chief executive of Open Access Data Centres, said even advanced economies are exploring small modular nuclear reactors to support hyperscale AI facilities, underscoring how central energy security has become to the global AI race.

Nigeria, however, is making moves to narrow the gap. Industry estimates show the country had 21 operational data centres by early 2026, with close to $1 billion worth of AI-ready facilities currently under development.

Many of the planned projects are being designed around dedicated gas-powered energy systems, a deliberate architectural choice that sidesteps Nigeria’s notoriously unreliable national grid and instead creates self-contained energy ecosystems where a gas supply agreement, a power plant, and a data centre are bundled into a single project structure.

In March 2026, Tetracore Energy Group announced plans to build a $400 million, 20-megawatt gas-powered data centre in Ogun State in partnership with Huawei and Inspirive Technologies.

The project is being positioned explicitly as AI infrastructure, designed not just for general cloud workloads but for the high-density GPU computing that large language models and inference engines require.

Ogun State, which borders Lagos and has become a preferred destination for industrial investment given its relative ease of land acquisition and proximity to port infrastructure, has emerged as an early frontrunner in Nigeria’s data centre geography.

The structure of deals like Tetracore’s reflects a broader rethinking of how energy and digital infrastructure can be co-developed in markets where grid reliability cannot be assumed.

Rather than connecting to a national system that loses an estimated 40 percent of power to transmission and distribution losses, developers are building generation assets, typically gas turbines or reciprocating engines, directly adjacent to the compute facilities they power. The model is more capital-intensive upfront, but it offers something Nigerian grid power rarely does: predictability.

Still, the obstacles are real and should not be minimised. Gas-to-power projects in Nigeria have a long history of announcement without delivery, stalled by delays in pipeline connections, gas supply agreements that collapse under price disputes, and an investment climate that can shift with the political winds.

The regulatory framework governing data infrastructure remains fragmented across multiple agencies, and local financing markets are too shallow to absorb the scale of investment the sector requires without significant foreign participation.

Experts said countries that build sovereign AI infrastructure- the servers, the connectivity, the power systems- tend to retain more of the economic value that AI generates. Those that do not become consumers of compute capacity controlled elsewhere, paying in hard currency for access to tools that shape their own economies.

Speaking at Hyperscalers Convergence Africa 2025 in Lagos, Bill Kleyman, chief executive of Apolo.us and executive chair for Data Centre Programs at Informa, said data-centre power demand in Africa is rising by 20 percent to 25 percent annually and could reach 8,000 gigawatt-hours.

‘Success requires two things, which are power and bravery,’ Kleyman said, warning that rapid AI adoption is driving rack densities far beyond what many facilities were originally designed to handle.

Nigeria’s gas reserves, long a source of frustration and environmental damage, may now represent an unlikely entry point into that contest. Whether the country can move fast enough to seize it remains the defining question.

Borrow to build, or borrow to eat?

Ancient Mesopotamian farmers borrowed grain, the terms recorded on clay tablets and repaid at harvest. The logic has not changed in 4,000 years: consume today, settle the bill tomorrow. What has changed is the scale, the sophistication of the instruments, and the remarkable creativity with which governments explain why this particular debt, at this particular moment, is entirely manageable.

The Philippines is currently performing that explanation with energy.

National government debt hit a 21-year high at end-March-65.2 percent of gross domestic product, P18.5 trillion, headed for P19 trillion by December. The government’s response has been consistent: the debt is sustainable, trajectory is downward, ratings agencies agree, pandemic made everyone do it. All of that is broadly true but none of it is the complete picture.

The complete picture includes debt service. The government will spend roughly P2 trillion this year on principal and interest payments combined-approximately 30 percent of the entire national budget. Interest payments alone are projected at nearly a trillion pesos for 2026. Fitch Ratings estimates the interest cost-to-government revenue ratio will reach 13 percent this year, against a 9 percent median for the Philippines’ BBB-rated peers. The government is not in crisis. It is, however, spending one peso for every eight of revenue simply to service the cost of past borrowing decisions, before a single classroom gets repaired or a single kilometer of road gets built.

This is the debt trap’s quiet mechanism. It does not announce itself. It works through subtraction-slowly reducing the share of the budget available for anything productive, compressing fiscal space year by year, until the government finds itself borrowing to service borrowing. The Philippines has not reached that point. But the direction is clear.

Debt divides cleanly into two categories regardless of the borrower. Investment debt plants something-a factory, a bridge, a grid connection that generates returns exceeding the cost of the money. Consumption debt buys the meal you have already eaten.

The Philippine record on that distinction is mixed at best. Capital outlays-infrastructure, productive investment-have been falling as a share of the budget since the Duterte years and contracted a further 9 percent in 2026. The increases in government spending over the same period came almost entirely from two sources: debt servicing and personnel costs. The country borrowed aggressively during and after the pandemic. The returns on that borrowing, measured in durable productive capacity, are less obvious than the headline growth numbers suggest.

The economy expanded 2.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026, the weakest performance since the pandemic, as the oil shock drained consumer spending and fueled inflation. Growth at that pace does not reduce a 65 percent debt-to-GDP ratio. It holds it in place while the interest clock runs.

None of this is alarming yet. The World Bank calls the debt sustainable. AMRO, the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office, projects the debt ratio declining through 2030. The ratings are stable if cautious. The government’s 77-to-23 domestic-to-foreign borrowing ratio limits direct currency exposure.

These are genuine stabilizers, not public relations. The Philippines has navigated worse debt positions-the ratio touched above 72 percent in the early 2000s and came down. It can do so again.

Fiscal health requires either collecting more revenue or cutting spending-without gutting the infrastructure budget that remains the only credible path to the growth rate that makes the math work.

The Mesopotamian farmer who borrowed grain had a simple accountability mechanism. The harvest either came or it did not. There was no rolling the debt over onto a new clay tablet, no budget realignment, no supplemental appropriation. The lender and the borrower lived in the same village and faced the same season.

Modern sovereign debt does not work that way. The officials who borrow and the citizens who pay live in different worlds entirely. Governments never pay off their loans; people have to.

That nonsense is not unique to the Philippines. It is the defining feature of public finance everywhere. What distinguishes the countries that navigate it from those which default on their debt is the discipline to treat investment debt and consumption debt as two different things.

The harvest still comes and so does the debt payment. The only question is whether the country planted anything with the money it borrowed.

Why Azerbaijan’s interest in Ecuador matters far beyond two countries [ANALYSIS]

The geopolitical and economic geography of the modern world is undergoing a fascinating recalibration, one where the strategic movement of sovereign capital blurs traditional boundaries. A striking manifestation of this trend is the nascent economic courtship between Azerbaijan and Ecuador, two nations separated by thousands of miles, distinct cultural landscapes, and vast oceans, yet increasingly bound by shared economic realities and complementary ambitions. When Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov recently signaled that Baku is exploring the deployment of its state investment funds to support energy and industrial infrastructure projects in Quito, it was not merely a routine diplomatic statement. It was a declaration of intent, marking a pivotal moment in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy evolution: the transition from a regional power into an assertive, globally oriented investor utilizing its sovereign wealth as a tool of strategic diplomacy.

At the heart of this transcontinental outreach lies the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), one of the largest and most robust sovereign wealth funds in the Eurasian region. For decades, SOFAZ has functioned primarily as a financial cushion, preserving the nation’s massive oil and gas revenues for future generations while stabilizing the domestic economy. However, the contemporary global landscape demands a more dynamic approach. By casting its gaze toward Latin America, Azerbaijan is signaling its entry into the arena of “investment diplomacy”-a playground traditionally dominated by titans like China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Deploying sovereign wealth into overseas infrastructure is a sophisticated method of converting exhaustible natural resource wealth into long-term geopolitical influence. For Baku, financing Ecuador’s energy grids and industrial framework is a calculated move to establish a strategic foothold in a region where Azerbaijani presence has historically been minimal.

This emerging partnership presents a captivating economic paradox. Both Azerbaijan and Ecuador are fundamentally resource-dependent nations, anchoring large portions of their state budgets and gross domestic products to the volatile fluctuations of global oil markets. Both have intimately known the joys of commodity booms and the stinging discipline of market crashes. Yet, instead of competing, they are attempting to build a symbiotic bridge over their shared challenges. Azerbaijan, looking ahead to a post-fossil fuel era, has aggressively prioritized the diversification of its non-oil sector. Ecuador, on the other hand, possesses a deeply entrenched, highly sophisticated agro-industrial complex that serves as a global benchmark for products ranging from bananas and coffee to floriculture and sustainable farming techniques.

Thus, the strategic calculus of the Baku-Quito axis becomes clear: Azerbaijan provides the liquid capital and energy infrastructure expertise that Ecuador desperately needs to modernize its economy, and in return, Baku gains invaluable access to Ecuador’s agricultural mastery, opening doors for massive knowledge transfer and food security partnerships. It is a textbook example of South-South cooperation, where the resource strengths of one nation are bartered to cure the structural vulnerabilities of another.

However, an objective analysis of this ambitious cross-continental bridge requires tempering diplomatic enthusiasm with financial realism. Latin America, and Ecuador specifically, is a complex theater for foreign investment. Quito has navigated significant domestic turbulence in recent years, grappling with fiscal deficits, institutional reconfigurations, and shifting security dynamics that can suddenly alter the risk profile for foreign capital. For a fund like SOFAZ, which carries a fiduciary duty to the Azerbaijani public to ensure capital preservation and steady returns, entering a market with such volatile undercurrents carries inherent risks. The success of this strategy will depend entirely on how robustly these investments are structured, the legal safeguards put in place, and whether Baku can successfully insulate its capital from local political cycles.

Ultimately, the bridge from Baku to Quito represents a bold, forward-looking experiment in statecraft. It proves that in the twenty-first century, a nation’s influence is measured not just by the size of its immediate geographic footprint, but by the velocity and reach of its sovereign capital. By leveraging its financial muscle to secure infrastructure assets in Latin America, Azerbaijan is rewriting its own narrative. It is no longer just a Caspian energy hub adjusting to the global energy transition; it is transforming into an active architect of global development, proving that even the most daunting geographical distances can be bridged when driven by a clear, sovereign strategy.

Cyprus Department of Meteorology – Forecast for the Sea Area of Cyprus (?)

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (A)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 09/06/2026 UNTIL 0600 10/06/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1009hPa (hectopascal)

Weak low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine but overnight and early morning, locally increased low cloud coverage will be present with local mist and/or fog, mainly over the east and the south.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in mist and very poor in fog

Sea surface temperature: 24°C

Warnings: NIL

Sallay’s mother appeals for compassion at Fort protest

The mother of former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Major General (Retd.) Suresh Sallay yesterday made an emotional appeal for compassion towards her son, as she addressed an ongoing Satyagraha opposite the Fort Railway Station.

Speaking to supporters and the media, she condemned what she described as the treatment being meted out to Sallay and his family, while expressing confidence that the truth regarding the allegations against him would eventually emerge.

‘I am not merely praising my own child. Go to Nugegoda and ask the people how much they love him. If the public loves him that much, imagine the pain of the mother who gave birth to him. I may remain silent, but there is a fire burning inside my heart,’ she said.

She said the public’s affection towards her son reflected the service he had rendered to the country and the sacrifices made during his career.

Referring to the allegations levelled against Sallay, she said she had placed her trust in God.

‘I have been a believer all my life. I pray every day and leave my son in God’s hands. God knows everything about him,’ she said.

She also defended the role played by intelligence officers in safeguarding national security, stating that many of their contributions were carried out away from public attention.

‘People can walk freely today because intelligence officers provided the information needed to protect this country. My son never sought publicity. He worked silently from the shadows and carried out his duties,’ she said.

Speaking about the impact of her son’s detention on the family, she said she continued to struggle emotionally with the situation.

Condemning what she described as the manner in which her son was being treated, she added: ‘This is a sin that even God and the Buddha will not tolerate.’

The Satyagraha opposite the Fort Railway Station has drawn supporters calling for action in relation to Sallay’s case. Authorities have not publicly responded to the remarks made at yesterday’s protest.

Women MPs seek faster investigations, stronger safeguards in Anuradhapura child abuse case

The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has called for faster investigations and stronger institutional coordination in the high-profile child abuse case involving a girl from Anuradhapura, while urging authorities to take steps to minimise further trauma to the victim as multiple court proceedings continue.

The Caucus, chaired by Women and Child Affairs Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj, met in Parliament on 5 June with representatives from the Attorney General’s Department, National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), Department of Probation and Child Care Services and Sri Lanka Police to review the progress of investigations and discuss next steps.

During the meeting, the Caucus instructed relevant authorities to ensure that all investigations are conducted strictly in accordance with court orders and requested that forensic and medical reports related to the case be obtained without delay.

Given that legal proceedings linked to the victim are currently being heard in courts in Anuradhapura, Attanagalla and Dambulla, the Caucus requested the NCPA to closely monitor all three proceedings and take measures to reduce the psychological burden placed on the child through repeated involvement in separate cases.

The Attorney General’s Department also agreed to a request from the Caucus to appear before the Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court to facilitate legal proceedings and strengthen coordination among State institutions involved in the case.

The Department of Probation and Child Care Services was instructed to continue monitoring matters relating to the child’s education, health and safety.

The Caucus further stressed the need for stronger coordination among law enforcement and child protection agencies handling child abuse cases and agreed to pursue future interventions aimed at improving institutional cooperation.

Members also decided to develop guidelines governing media reporting and judicial proceedings relating to child abuse cases to ensure the privacy, security and dignity of affected children are protected. A subcommittee operating under the Caucus will oversee the process and also examine legal and practical challenges arising in child abuse litigation.

Among those attending the meeting were Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemali Weerasekara, MPs Hasara Liyanage, Lakmali Hemachandra and Sagarika Athauda, while Deputy Minister Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne and MPs Thushari Jayasinghe and Anushka Thilakarathne participated online.

2026 SIPP: Positioning the Philippines as a strategic investment destination

The approval of the 2026 Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP) through Memorandum Order No. 47 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on May 21, 2026 marks an important step in the government’s continuing effort to attract investments in the Philippines through the grant of the investment incentive system under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE MORE) Act.

If an industry or project falls under the SIPP list, it may be eligible for registration with Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) such as the Board of Investments (BOI), the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and other investment promotion bodies. Once registered and approved, enterprises may avail themselves of incentives under the Tax Code, subject to compliance with CREATE MORE rules and requirements of the concerned IPAs.

Under the Tax Code, as amended, the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) and IPAs may grant tax incentives only to the extent that a registered project or activity is included in the duly approved SIPP. Eligibility for incentives is directly tied to national priority activities and other policy considerations such as capital investment and job creation. The SIPP serves as the central reference point in determining which economic activities may qualify for available tax incentives as provided under the Tax Code, as amended. Projects or activities not listed in the SIPP shall be automatically disapproved.

The 2026 SIPP retains the usual three-tier structure but its content shows a clearer shift toward long-term economic transformation and more targeted industrial policy.

Tier I continues to cover foundational and enabling sectors including modern agriculture, manufacturing, information technology, healthcare services, disaster risk reduction and management services, telecommunications sector, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and electronics, shipbuilding, housing, and air, water, and land transport. It also includes sustainability-driven industries such as industrial and hazardous waste treatment, bulk water treatment and supply, wastewater treatment and related projects.

The continued inclusion of agriculture is particularly important as we are still facing scarcity of food supply and rising prices of basic commodities. Despite being an agricultural economy, we still import significant volumes of basic food products such as rice, corn, meat, and other agricultural goods. By keeping agriculture within Tier I, the SIPP highlights the need to improve productivity, modernize farming systems, and strengthen food security. It likewise signals government support for investments in farm mechanization, irrigation systems, post-harvest facilities, and agribusiness value chains that can help reduce dependence on imports.

Fisheries and aquaculture carry the same importance. As an archipelagic nation, the Philippines has vast marine resources, yet the fishery and aquaculture industry remains underdeveloped in terms of production capabilities, processing, cold chain logistics, and export competitiveness. The inclusion of fishery and aquaculture activities creates room for investments in fish processing facilities, cold storage systems, and export-oriented aquaculture operations that can raise income in coastal communities and improve our country’s food supply. The inflow of investments in our coastal communities will certainly help improve the lives of our marginalized fishing communities. The Philippines has one of the longest coastlines in the world, so it makes sense to attract more investments in the aquaculture sector.

Tier II shifts the focus to strategic industries including defense-related services, desalination technologies, electric vehicle infrastructure, crude oil refining, renewable energy, sustainable aviation fuel, and health and food security-related services.

The inclusion of renewable energy and electric vehicle infrastructure is particularly significant as it reflects the government’s effort to reduce pollution, lower dependence on imported fuel, and support the transition to cleaner transport systems. Crude oil refining and desalination technologies also highlight practical economic concerns as energy security and water security remain key constraints in many parts of the country particularly in the urban areas.

Tier III focuses on frontier and high-technology sectors such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum computing, hydrogen energy, nuclear-related technologies, advanced research and development, aerospace, modern biotechnology, and the production and adoption of new hybrid seeds, among others. The Philippines truly needs to develop these sectors to keep pace with global progress and development.

In fine, the 2026 SIPP is a positive development as it clearly identifies priority sectors that investors may consider in doing business into the Philippine soil. Clear policy direction is important as it allows investors to align their long-term plans with government priorities.

The author is a partner of Du-Baladad and Associates Law Offices (BDB Law) (www.bdblaw.com.ph).

The article is for general information only and is not intended, nor should be construed as a substitute for tax, legal, or financial advice on any specific matter. Applicability of this article to any actual or particular tax or legal issue should be supported, therefore, by a professional study or advice. If you have any comments or questions concerning the article, you may e-mail the author at rodel.unciano@bdblaw.com.ph or call 8403-2001 local 380.