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State Program for development of mining and metallurgy industry for 2027-2030 approved – ORDER

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed an order to approve the “State Program on the Development of Mining (Metal Ores) and Metallurgy Industry in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2027-2030.”

Under the document, the Cabinet of Ministers will coordinate and oversee the implementation of the program. Furthermore, the Cabinet of Ministers will submit an annual progress report on the implementation of the planned activities to the President of Azerbaijan.

At the same time, the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of measures specified in the State Program will be carried out by the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication on the basis of an order from the Cabinet of Ministers.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy will take appropriate steps to allocate the necessary financial resources during the annual drafting of the state budget and state investment programs of Azerbaijan to fund the activities envisaged in the State Program.

Philippines-EU free trade agreement seen next year

The Philippines and the European Union are expected to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) next year after the conclusion of negotiations.

‘We just agreed on a EU-Philippine trade deal!’ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X yesterday after meeting with President Marcos. ‘This comes just three years after my visit to Manila to relaunch the negotiations,’ she added.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque and European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic also announced the development in a joint statement.

‘It is essentially concluded,’ EU Ambassador Massimo Santoro told reporters covering the ASEAN-EU Business Summit, referring to the trade deal.

He said there is still some work to be finalized on residual elements and the agreement would need to go through legal scrubbing to make it ready for a formal launch.

Roque and Sefcovic said that the FTA is expected to create new opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as farmers, manufacturers and consumers on both sides.

The deal is also expected to bring more investment and create more jobs.

In addition, it will support the parties’ shared priorities on sustainable development and the clean and digital transitions.

President Marcos described the conclusions of the free trade talks as an ‘important milestone’ as he vowed to ensure that the opportunities arising from it will benefit Filipinos.

‘This is an important milestone in our strong partnership with the European Union and our shared commitment to open and fair trade. The agreement will bring more opportunities for business and investment, create more jobs and support stronger and more diversified supply chains,’ Marcos said in a statement hours after his phone call with von der Leyen.

‘We will work to ensure that these opportunities reach our Filipino farmers, manufacturers, consumers and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), while opening new possibilities for the Philippines in AI (artificial intelligence), digital technologies and other important sectors,’ he added.

Amid geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges, the FTA is expected to diversify supply chains and provide fair and predictable rules.

After the signing, the FTA will have to be ratified by the Philippine government and European Parliament.

Negotiations for the Philippines-EU FTA were launched in 2015, followed by two rounds, before being put on hold amid the EU’s concerns over the war on drugs waged by the Duterte administration. In 2024, the Philippines and EU agreed to resume FTA negotiations.

Santoro said the parties are aiming to have the FTA in force before the EU Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) expires by end-2027.

‘We wish to be quick in putting this into force,’ he said. The Philippines is a beneficiary of the GSP+, which allows the duty-free entry of 6,274 products to the EU.

‘The FTA is much more encompassing than the GSP+,’ Santoro said.

Predictable trade foundation

European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines president Diana Edralin said that the FTA provides a predictable foundation for trade and development between the Philippines and EU.

‘We strongly urge legislators and political leaders from both the Philippines and the EU to demonstrate swift, decisive commitment to the ratification process,’ she said.

‘Ensuring an expedited legislative approval in both the Philippine Congress and the European Parliament will allow our business communities, workforce and consumers to realize the full economic dividends of this historic pact without delay,’ she added.

German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Christian Scheld said that German businesses are ready to turn the FTA into investments and jobs in the Philippines.

‘GPCCI looks forward on its official documentation and ratification well ahead of the expiry of GSP+ in 2027, so that Philippine exporters face no gap in market access,’ he said.

For Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ferdinand Ferrer, the conclusion of the Philippines-EU FTA reinforces the country’s growing integration into the global economy.

‘The business community must now position itself to fully maximize the opportunities that this comprehensive agreement will bring. This FTA has the potential to unlock new growth areas for Philippine enterprises, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to expand their presence in international markets,’ he said.

Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said that the development is welcome news for Philippine exporters.

‘The EU is a major and high-value market, and an FTA can give our exporters greater market access, more predictable trading conditions, and a stronger platform for expanding Philippine products and services in Europe,’ he said.

Federation of Philippine Industries chair Elizabeth Lee said that the Philippines-EU FTA could help position the country as a resilient sourcing and production hub for European firms.

‘The real prize is not just market access. It is attracting the investments that create factories, transfer technology and generate quality jobs for Filipinos,’ she said.

Last year, the EU was the Philippines’ fourth largest trading partner with trade in goods amounting to 17.6 billion euros ($20.2 billion).

‘We strongly believe a regional deal would provide a competitive edge for European and Southeast Asian companies alike, bringing trade and investment to a level that reflects the scale and strategic importance of the ASEAN-EU relationship,’ EU-ASEAN Business Council chair Jens Ruebbert said.

The EU has FTAs with Singapore and Vietnam, and finalized the negotiations for its FTA with Indonesia in September last year.

EFCC boss to Religious leaders: Diverting tithes, offerings, zakat to private businesses criminal

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, has warned religious leaders against diverting tithes, offerings, zakat and other funds belonging to religious organisations into their private businesses.

Olukoyede described such diversion as criminal, urging churches and mosques to establish clear regulatory compliance mechanisms to prevent the misuse of funds entrusted to religious institutions.

The EFCC chairman spoke at the 2026 Second Council Meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), held with the theme, ‘Shared Sacred Flourishing in Nigeria’.

He said religious leaders had a responsibility to lead by example in the fight against corruption, stressing that followers often emulate the conduct of their leaders.

According to him, religious organisations are registered as not-for-profit entities, and funds received in the name of such organisations should be kept in their designated accounts and used for the purposes for which they were contributed.

‘You are not supposed to mingle it. There’s nothing that says you can’t do another vocation. You sell cars, you have a farm and all of that.

‘Don’t mix the money from the purse of your organisation with that of your own personal money. Don’t do that. When money is paid to your organisation, don’t divert it to your business.

‘That is criminal,’ Olukoyede said.

He advised religious leaders who engage in legitimate private businesses to maintain a clear separation between their personal finances and funds belonging to their churches, mosques or other religious organisations.

The EFCC chairman also recounted investigations conducted by the commission into institutions responsible for sponsoring religious pilgrimages, alleging that investigators had uncovered significant financial irregularities.

He said that during his previous service at the EFCC, including as Chief of Staff and Secretary, the commission investigated the Christian and Muslim pilgrimage boards.

‘Some of the discoveries we made were mind-boggling,’ he said, alleging that in one location, almost 75 per cent of government funds released for the sponsorship of pilgrims had been stolen by officials of the organisations.

Olukoyede said the allegations underscored the need for greater accountability and transparency in religious institutions and government-funded religious programmes.

He urged religious organisations to develop regulatory compliance templates to clearly define the boundaries between organisational and personal finances.

‘Go and develop regulatory compliance templates for your religious organisation so that you know where you don’t have to cross the line. You know where the boundary is drawn. You know the money that belongs to you and the money that does not belong to you,’ he said.

The EFCC chairman stressed that funds entrusted to religious leaders belonged to members of the faith community and were held in trust for the propagation of the faith and its tenets.

He further called on religious institutions to play a greater role in preventing corruption by shaping the moral character and conscience of citizens.

According to him, while the EFCC can investigate and prosecute financial crimes, religious institutions have the capacity to influence the values and character that determine whether individuals engage in corrupt practices.

‘The EFCC can investigate a person’s conduct. Faith communities can influence that person’s character.

‘We can prosecute fraud. Religious teachings can cultivate honesty. We can confiscate illicit wealth.

‘Churches and mosques can challenge the values that make society worship wealth without questioning its source,’ he said.

Olukoyede said religious leaders could contribute significantly to Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign by promoting honest living and discouraging the pursuit of wealth without regard to its source.

He said religious institutions had an ‘extraordinary responsibility’ in the country’s anti-corruption struggle, adding that preventing corruption before it occurs was as important as punishing offenders after the crime had been committed.

‘It is important to state here that one of the most consequential contributions religious leaders can make to shared sacred flourishing is to restore the moral dignity of honest living,’ the EFCC chairman said.

Japan firms want stronger ties with ASEAN

Japanese firms are seeking to deepen their role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) beyond merely submitting policy recommendations as the bloc moves toward its 2045 vision.

This takes focus at the 18th dialogue between the Federation of Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in ASEAN (FJCCIA) and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Manila on Sept. 18.

FJCCIA is composed of Japanese chambers of commerce and industry from 10 ASEAN countries, representing 7,420 member companies. It has held an annual dialogue with the ASEAN secretary-general since 2008.

The talks come as businesses navigate growing uncertainty, often described as an era of ‘permanent disruption,’ stemming from the decoupling of high-tech supply chains due to intensifying US-China tensions and logistics disruptions linked to tensions in the Middle East.

FJCCIA chairman Shigeru Shimoda said rising protectionism and non-tariff measures are reducing investment predictability for companies.

‘Japanese companies are not merely external investors; as ‘ASEAN Citizens’ deeply rooted in local communities, we want to build prosperity together with ASEAN toward 2045,’ Shimoda, who is also chairman of the Philippine-Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said.

With the 11-member regional bloc moving from its Economic Community Blueprint 2025 toward the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, Shimoda presented the FJCCIA recommendations aimed at deepening Japanese-ASEAN co-creation partnerships.

The recommendations cover resilient supply chains, the green and circular economy, digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) and human capital development.

FJCCIA said it wanted to help strengthen ASEAN’s competitiveness through cooperation on institutional and digital connectivity, decarbonization, development of a region-wide power grid, establishing Data Free Flow with Trust and facilitating movement of highly skilled talent.

The recommendations were based on the latest FJCCIA Survey 2026, which gathered 1,041 responses from member companies operating across the region.

Cyber patrols to be intensified vs online ‘grooming’

Cyber patrols will be enhanced to detect online ‘grooming,’ recruitment and other activities exposing minors to violence or criminal behavior, according to the National Capital Region Police Office.

The NCRPO has directed the regional anti-cybercrime unit to monitor online communities, threats, recruitments, calls for violence, games and other digital platforms that may expose minors to excessive violence or encourage dangerous activities.

Police operations will not target legitimate online gaming or the youth’s usage of technology, but the misuse of digital platforms to manipulate or recruit minors.

School shootings have occurred in Tacloban, Zamboanga and South Cotabato in the last three months.

The NCRPO urged parents, guardians and teachers to monitor children’s online activities, including their private chats, gaming communities and social media groups.

‘Know what your children are watching, who they are communicating with and what online

communities they are joining,’ NCRPO officer-in-charge Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano said yesterday.

‘Our objective is prevention. We want to detect threats before they become real-world violence,’ he added.

People should not circulate videos, photos, threats or other sensitive material related to violent incidents, the NCRPO stressed.

Police will coordinate with the Department of Education, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), schools, parents and other agencies to prevent online exploitation and other cyber-enabled threats.

Reddit, Discord reps

The CICC has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to online forum Reddit and messaging platform Discord to designate representatives and establish a physical presence in the Philippines.

Threatening a nationwide ban for noncompliance, the CICC clarified: ‘We are not asking platforms to police the internet for the government, but to be reachable, accountable and responsive when activities on their platforms put Filipino children and communities at risk.’

Reddit and Discord should join an integrated inter-agency framework to dismantle networks creating, soliciting, distributing and monetizing online child abuse and its materials, the CICC said.

To bolster compliance, the CICC has requested the Department of Foreign Affairs to facilitate high-level diplomatic and coordination meetings with Reddit, Discord, Meta and other social media networks operating in the country.

Palace open to Big Tech congressional franchise

Malacañang is open to a bill requiring social media firms to obtain a congressional franchise and subject them to Philippine laws.

Rep. David Suarez has filed a bill classifying online social networks as public services that must secure a franchise from legislature.

‘That (bill) is being discussed and that is what the Department of Information and Communications Technology proposes, so that as much as possible, we can have jurisdiction and authority over these social media platforms. So that is a good proposal,’ Palace press officer Claire Castro said yesterday.

Under House Bill 4786, the DICT and National Telecommunications Commission will have regulatory and oversight functions over social media entities, which will be required to have a local presence in the country.

Castro refuted Vice President Sara Duterte’s statement blaming the Marcos administration for the school shootings.

‘It is not true that the government is not doing anything… We cannot force someone to understand the situation if he or she is unwilling to understand or just can’t understand,’ Castro said.

Arbole holds sway in Negros

Fourteen years of waiting have brought Art Arbole to a place he has long dreamed of reaching: the top of a Philippine Golf Tour leaderboard with a championship within sight.

Arbole took a major step toward ending that long title drought Tuesday, producing a personal-best 36-hole total and a bogey-free 67 to seize solo control at the halfway mark of the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club here.

For the second straight day, the short but tricky layout yielded to Arbole’s steady all-around game. More importantly, the performance gave the journeyman his first outright lead after two rounds – a position that carried both promise and pressure as the tournament heads into the pivotal final 36 holes.

Backtracking

The NBA off-season is usually a time for team restructuring, disposing and collecting assets hoping to bring them somewhere. Teams could be in a win-now-not-later situation or are building for the future. With that development, we could somehow determine where will things be going for those teams.

But some teams managed to have some confusing off-season moves and some of you could agree with what happened to these two Eastern Conference teams, both former NBA champions. And to think that the EC is getting competitive.

MIAMI HEAT – Giannis Antetokounmpo needs no superlative description, and the Heat were successful in their pursuit of him. He gets paired with another frontline All-Star in Bam Adebayo. The good news ends here.

Yes, Giannis is Giannis but in acquiring him, Miami sacrificed key rotation pieces along with multiple draft picks. Bobby Portis came with the deal, and he’ll be an excellent back-up when Adebayo gets his rest. Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway, Jr. were the recent Heat additions and they can provide the needed scoring. But these 30-something guys have a few years left in their tanks as compared to the 20-something former Heats they sent away.

With Milwaukee now are 2025 All-Star Tyler Herro (26) who in his seven seasons with the Heat averaged 19.5 points per game. Center-forward Kel’el Ware (22 y.o., 11ppg, 9rpg), 2025 6th Man of the Year finalist, forward Jaime Jaquez (25 y.o., 15.4ppg, 5rpg, 4.7apg) and 20 y.o. forward Kasparas Jakucionis (6.2ppg) complete the trade package.

After giving away their young assets, let’s trust Erik Spoelstra’s coaching genius on Miami’s updated but older roster.

BOSTON CELTICS – The championship tandem of NBA All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had been effective for so long that it was surprising Boston must break it. The move downgraded the Celtics and in turn, strengthened a division rival.

Management said ‘optionality’ was the reason. Due to their super max contracts, 70% of players’ salaries were tied up with both players and Brown is up for another massive extension in two years.

The 2024 Finals MVP is coming off a career-best season (28.7ppg, 6.9rpg, 5.1apg). He was traded to Philadelphia in exchange for an injury-prone Paul George and some draft picks. The past 2 seasons, the 36 y.o. George played only 78 games.

The perimeter downgrade is puzzling even if Boston got Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks whose play is often erratic. This makes the Celtics more reliant than ever on a prime Tatum and hope their role players show up when needed.

Gilas men dominate Kazakhs, enter Asian Games 3×3 quarterfinals

The Gilas Pilipinas men are off to the quarterfinal round of the Asian Games’ 3×3 basketball after blasting Kazakhstan, 21-15, in the final game of pool play Wednesday at the Kinjo Futo Station Square Venue in Japan.

The Filipino quartet, made up of Nic Cabanero, Luis Pablo, Koji Buenaflor and Doy Dungo, thus finished the Pool A play undefeated through three games.

Cabanero and Dungo powered the Philippines with seven and six points, respectively. Pablo had five markers while Buenaflor added three.

Gilas trailed by one, 7-8, at the 6:24 mark of the game after a layup by Mansur Seilkhanov.

But four straight points by the Philippines, capped by a deuce by Cabanero, pushed them ahead, 11-8, with 4:47 to go.

This set the tone the rest of the way as Gilas kept their arm’s length against their opponents.

Kazakhstan, though, continued to storm back, slicing the deficit to one multiple times.

As Timur Tangiyev hit a shot to make it a 14-15 ballgame with 2:23 to go, Dungo waxed hot, hitting a 2-pointer sandwiched by close shots to push Gilas 19-14.

A Pablo layup towed the Philippines to 20-14 with 1:24 to go.

Ydydyshzan then tried to rally the Kazakhs back, but Dungo was fouled on the drive. He hit the free throw to put the cherry on top of Gilas’ win.

Tangiyev produced eight points while Seilkhanov had four for the 1-2 Kazakhstan.

The quarterfinals will be held on Thursday.

’Nutrition Is Central To Human Capital Development’

Governor Uba Sani places nutrition as an important component of his administration’s development agenda because it is important in making children realise their full potentials.

The Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, further sated that a child who is well nourished has a better opportunity to grow, learn and survive.

”Consequently, investing in nutrition is not simply an investment in health; it is an investment in the future of our dear State and Country,” she added.

The Deputy Governor who is a medical doctor, made these remarks at the Women In Power Conference 2026 and formal recognition as a Kaduna State Nutrition Champion.

Dr Balarabe assured that Kaduna state under Governor Uba Sani, will continue to do its best to provide leadership in nutrition financing and related health activities.

”During the June 2026 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week, Kaduna recorded 82 per cent Vitamin A supplementation coverage and 79 per cent coverage for Mid-Upper Arm Circumference screening.

”In 2025, 30,089 children across the 23 Local Government Areas were treated for severe acute malnutrition through the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition program.

”These achievements demonstrate what can be accomplished when government, communities, development partners, health workers and civil society work together,” she added.

The Deputy Governor advised states to pay attention to nutrition financing, arguing that ”good policies can only produce results when they are backed by predictable resources, effective implementation, accountability and measurable outcomes.”

According to her, the new Kaduna State 2026-2030 Food and Nutrition Policy and Strategic Plan ”provides an opportunity to consolidate our gains, strengthen coordination while ensuring that nutrition remains firmly integrated into government planning, budgeting and implementation.”

Dr Balarabe appreciated the Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission and the Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria, CS-SUNN, for being recognized as one of the Kaduna State Nutrition Champions.

”We receive this recognition with gratitude, and do not receive it as personal trophy. We receive it as a call to service, and as a reminder that leadership is not measured by the titles we carry, but by the lives we touch,” she added.

Weak peso

A weak peso is a doubled-edged sword. It encourages exporters to produce more because of higher potential earnings from a ‘favorable’ exchange rate.

It is also a boon to business process outsourcing companies with overseas contracts denominated in foreign currencies.

But a weak local currency has its ugly side. It translates into higher cost of imports, especially of oil, fuels inflation and increases government pressure to raise transportation fares and wages.

The Philippine information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) industry, for one, is gaining short-term competitiveness from the peso’s depreciation. At the same time, however, it fears rising inflation and blanket wage hikes could erode the sector’s long-term advantage.

Proposed wage increases, while favorable or neutral to salaried employees, would create uncertainty and could affect investor projections and decisions.

Renewed Middle East tensions last week drove the immediate drop in the value of the peso. Brent crude rose 2.77 percent to $107.51 a barrel while West Texas Intermediate climbed 2.27 percent to $102.32 after Houthi forces attacked targets in Saudi Arabia and Iranian forces assaulted commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf, per a foreign wire report.

The Philippines imports nearly all of its oil requirements. Higher crude prices directly widen the country’s trade deficit and increase the demand for dollars among local importers.

The US dollar itself is strengthening, lowering the value of the peso and other foreign currencies. It is gathering strength as investors weighed the prospect of interest rate decisions from both the US Fed and the Bank of Japan.

One foreign exchange trader noted that the peso reached new lows after August’s US inflation data solidified views of a Fed rate hike. Against these hawkish expectations, the peso currency will likely remain weak.

The peso depreciation, to reiterate, has a significant impact on the economy because it will fuel inflation and slow down economic growth. It may boost our exporters but the weak currency creates a challenging environment characterized by higher costs and reduced production.

The Philippines can check the peso depreciation through more exports but that is easier said than done. We need to boost the economy and expand our export base-that means raising investments to generate more jobs and increase the purchasing power of our workers.

The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has committed to speed up investments, strengthen skills training and help businesses expand, and hire more Filipinos after the July labor data showed mixed results.

The Philippine Statistics Authority’s July 2026 Labor Force Survey showed 49.2 million Filipinos were employed, an increase of about 3.2 million from last year. Private establishments added 582,000 wage and salary workers, and middle- and high-skilled occupations rose by a combined 2.6 million workers.

Unemployment, however, rose to 6 percent, with 3.14 million Filipinos out of work, an increase of 551,000 from a year earlier. More Filipinos are finding work but more are also entering the labor force as new graduates join the labor force.

Against this backdrop, the Marcos administration approved 46 special economic zones that are expected to draw P141.2 billion in investments and generate close to 189,000 jobs. Of these zones, 43 are outside Metro Manila, 29 in Luzon, 12 in the Visayas and five in Mindanao.

The government is also accelerating the Luzon Economic Corridor, which will link Subic, Clark, Manila and Batangas into a logistics, manufacturing and innovation hub. The mammoth railway project is projected to generate up to one million jobs.

A planned 1,600-hectare technology hub in New Clark City within the corridor is also expected to support semiconductor, advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence industries, and create 130,000 high-quality jobs.

The training of more Filipinos for the new job positions should match the new investments. An expanded economic base and increased employment, hopefully, will add value to our currency and cancel out the effects of a stronger US dollar.