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Cybercrime investigators have stepped up their monitoring of social media platforms for critics of the administration who are allegedly planning to sow misinformation online to instigate public disorder during President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address (SONA) tomorrow.

Undersecretary Renato Paraiso, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center executive director, said the CICC’s threat monitoring and cybercrime response centers have intensified their monitoring of online activities for possible coordinated disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks before and during the SONA.

Paraiso issued the directive to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting the politically charged atmosphere surrounding the SONA.

He clarified their goal is not to police the opinions of government critics but to protect the digital space’s integrity.

‘Every Filipino has the right to express opinions, but those discussions must be based on facts, not misinformation designed to deceive, divide or incite,’ Paraiso said in a statement.

While he is for healthy democratic conversations online, Paraiso said weaponizing false information to sow chaos has no place in a civilized society.

People who may notice disinformation and inflammatory content related to the SONA can report to the CICC through hotline 1326.

Meanwhile, a send-off ceremony was held on Friday for the police contingent that will secure the SONA.

Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin, National Capital Region Police Office director, led the ceremony held at the Quezon City Police District headquarters at Camp Karingal.

More than 21,000 police officers are up for deployment during the SONA.

The Philippine National Police denied it has imposed a nationwide gun ban as part of security measures for the SONA.

‘The PNP has not issued any directive imposing a nationwide gun ban for the event. However, existing laws, local ordinances and established security protocols remain in effect,’ PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement.

After a series of oil price hikes, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is studying the possibility of expanding and increasing the fuel discounts given to public utility vehicles or PUV sector.

LTFRB Chairman Vigor Mendoza II said the board is discussing on whether to sustain, expand and increase the discount, as an alternative to cover the sector’s additional operational costs, while the petitions for fare hikes remain pending.

‘We are factoring everything in the conduct of review and re-computation,’ Mendoza said, noting the difficulties in arriving at a conclusion as ‘the situation in the Middle East remains unpredictable and unstable.’

Mendoza said that the fuel discount increase and expansion is ‘the most logical and practical measure.’

He noted, though, that this would require higher budgets.

‘We are looking into this proposal as the last option because the discussions on the matter are ongoing, and these discussions include public consultations with stakeholders nationwide,’ Mendoza said.

LTFRB data showed that over 87,000 of 143,000 PUVs in the country, including jeepneys and UV Express, have benefited from the government’s P10-per-liter fuel discount.

This is our third week reflecting on parables. A quick review of what we have been learning may help. First, parables need figuring out, but once you think you have one figured out, think again. Parables cannot be constrained into a single interpretation. (For a refresher, read our reflection two weeks ago.)

To go deeper into a parable, pay attention to details. Let a detail trigger other images and create ripples of thought and feeling. Then try to connect all the images you have collected, and ask: What can God be telling me where I am right now? (You may want to revisit last week’s musings.)

Now, let’s try to apply the lessons above to two verses from our Gospel this week:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it (Matthew 13:45-46).

You can read this parable narrowly and see the kingdom of heaven as a merchant. But I think it is better to understand it more broadly and see the kingdom of heaven being compared to this whole situation of a merchant searching for fine pearls, finding it, and selling all that he has to buy it.

In this situation, who is the merchant? You can see God as the merchant. This reading works especially with the clause, ‘he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.’ Isn’t this what God did when he sent us his only begotten Son?

And what is the pearl? Or better yet, who is the pearl? You are the pearl. A prayer exercise that would be a good way to begin any day: Say over and over again, ‘I am God’s pearl of great price. I am valued. I am loved.’

But wait, there’s more…

In the parable, God is a merchant, not a collector. And because he is a merchant, what will he do with this pearl he has bought? And why?

Take a deep breath: You have been bought to buy other pearls of great price. Perhaps, the language of ‘redemption’ can help us grasp this truth in a way that is closer to what may be God’s intention: We have been redeemed by the Son so that we can also help redeem others.

Now, don’t push the parable too far and start thinking that we are mere commodities to be bought and sold. There are aspects of the analogy that work, and there are aspects that don’t. One way to see if a facet of the comparison works is to see what fruit it bears.

One insight from the merchant and his business is this: A good merchant will never sell at a loss. When a pearl is sold after it is bought, it appreciates in value. Before it is sold, the increase in its price is just ‘on paper.’ Its worth remains potential until it is shared. Your value becomes real when you are able to redeem others.

Let’s explore a different direction. What if you are the merchant? There are many ways of pursuing the kingdom of heaven; there are many pearls of great price that you can buy. You cannot acquire them all; you have to choose what to invest in.

In the same way that there are different criteria by which pearls are judged-size, shape, color, luster, and so on-what criterion will you hold most important to help you discern the value of a pearl? Will it be size-like when the mustard seed, the smallest of seeds, becomes the largest of bushes? Or will it be the often neglected aspect of the mustard plant, that it offers a space for ‘the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches’ (Matthew 13:32)? Will your main consideration be how much you can grow or how many people you can help?

Pushing this idea further, we also have to ponder on the provenance of the pearl. Where did it come from? Was it natural or cultured? Is your dream from God, or is it artificial?

And again, remember that in this parable, you are not a collector; you are a merchant. You cannot get stuck on one pearl. The one you hold now may be what seems most valuable to you, but circumstances and contexts change. Maybe there will come a time when another pearl more fitting for you comes into view.

As my first-year high school teacher wisely taught, ‘Love only 99%; leave 1% for letting go.’ Life is a constant search for fine pearls. Sometimes, it is only when we let go of one pearl that we are able to hold another of greater value. We continue this process of letting go of the pearls we find here on earth until we finally come to the pearl of greatest price.

But wait, there’s still more…

Your prayer assignment this week:

Watch this video for a scientific theory on how pearls form.

The Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) and the Pax Silica alliance are set to be the Philippines’ next big thing in terms of job and economic opportunities after the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) boom.

Rick Santos, chairman and CEO of integrated real estate services company Santos Knight Frank, called the Luzon Economic Corridor and Pax Silica ‘the most exciting initiatives to date, following the BPO era.’

‘We see it as a good opportunity to create more jobs and open up more opportunities to improve the market overall,’ Santos said.

‘The concept of LEC and Pax Silica will, indeed, position the Philippines as a serious player in the region’s AI and semiconductor supply chain, opening up next-generation opportunities, higher-paying jobs and attracting long-term institutional capital,’ he said.

Santos Knight Frank said that together, the LEC and Pax Silica mark a shift in the Philippines’ economic identity, away from an economy built on BPO, remittances and consumption.

The two frameworks are expected to reposition Luzon, which already accounts for roughly half of the country’s gross domestic product, as one of Southeast Asia’s leading hubs for advanced manufacturing, semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven infrastructure.

‘What we’re seeing now is the foundation for the next generation of Philippine economic growth, one that moves us beyond services and remittances into advanced manufacturing, technology and long-term institutional investment,’ Santos said.

He said that for real estate, particularly in the industrial sector, this represents a multi-decade opportunity.

‘The industrial sector remains a bright spot, with renewable energy, e-commerce, and digital infrastructure now joining manufacturing and logistics as key demand drivers,’ Santos said.

For his part, Presidential Communications Secretary Dave Gomez said the US-led project is expected to generate up to a million quality jobs and grow the economy by double digits.

In an interview with ‘The Spokes’ on Bilyonaryo News Channel, Gomez said Pax Silica would be one of the one of the landmark programs of the Marcos administration in the next two years.

Gomez said the US is encouraging investments in what they call trusted partners.

‘We’re very fortunate that we are one of those trusted partners in Southeast Asia,’ he said. The other country is Singapore.

‘It has the potential to grow our economy double digits. It has the potential to generate up to one million quality jobs. So imagine the impact on the economy and on ordinary citizens,’ Gomez said.

Announced in April 2024, the LEC is the first Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment corridor in the Indo-Pacific, aimed at strengthening connectivity across key Luzon growth centers.

What started as a trilateral initiative of the US, Japan and the Philippines expanded to include Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Santos Knight Frank said the LEC is now a multilateral vote of confidence in Philippine infrastructure, not just a bilateral development program.

The corridor enhances connectivity between Subic Bay, Clark, Manila and Batangas, linking Luzon’s key ports, airports and economic zones into one investment spine, it said.

Pax Silica, meanwhile, is designed to reduce dependence on vulnerable technology supply chains and strengthen cooperation among trusted partners.

The Philippines became a member of the US-led coalition in April 2026.

A 4,000-acre site in New Clark City has been proposed as the location of the first AI-native industrial acceleration hub under Pax Silica, situated within the Luzon Economic Corridor.

Santos Knight Frank said the proposed development is expected to support investment in semiconductors and advanced electronics.

It said the Pax Silica framework offers the Philippines its clearest opening in a generation to move up the value chain of global electronics manufacturing.

‘The Philippines brings distinct strengths to the table: reserves of nickel, copper, and gold – critical inputs for microchips, batteries, and advanced electronics – alongside an established base of technical talent and manufacturing infrastructure already serving the BPO and electronic sectors,’ Santos Knight Frank said.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to announce today the result of the plebiscite that would ratify or reject a Parañaque ordinance that changes the territorial boundaries of the city’s five coastal barangays.

Voters of Barangays Baclaran, Tambo, Don Galo, La Huerta and San Dionisio were asked to approve City Ordinance 2023-19, passed in July 2023, changing the boundaries of the localities using the straight-line policy.

In the straight-line policy, boundaries are dictated using easily distinguishable divisions, such as roads and property lines.

The five barangays have jurisdiction over reclaimed areas along Manila Bay, where several economic parks are located, including Aseana City, Entertainment City and Asiaworld.

The coastal barangays have been in a border dispute for over 20 years.

The city council sought the changes to provide a ‘comprehensive, wise, just and fair distribution of resources, in the interest of public service and the general welfare of the inhabitants of the city as a whole.’

‘Some might think that this is not a contested plebiscite. This is highly contested because there are people who oppose… the desire to divide the place of Aseana, which is the question in the ballot,’ Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said yesterday.

The five barangays comprise a voting population of 79,300, according to Comelec.

Parañaque passed a similar ordinance in 2003 but was declared by the Supreme Court null and void in 2016 because no plebiscite was held.