“Equally disturbing are the links between Pax Silica and corporations and contractors tied to US and Israeli military technologies, surveillance systems, autonomous warfare, and the global arms industry, which reveal the deeply militarized character of this project.”
MANILA – Marking the 128th Independence Day of the Philippines, June 12, hundreds of activists opposed the United States (US)-led artificial intelligence industrial hub that is planned to be built in the Luzon Economic Corridor of the Philippines.
“Our independence rings hollow especially if our government continues to be subservient to the interest of the foreign powers,” Raymond Palatino, secretary general of multi-sectoral formation Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), said.
The Philippines joined the Pax Silica Initiative led by the United States together with 13 other nations. Under this, both the U.S. and the Philippine governments announced plans to set up a 4,000 acre AI industrial site, which will be known as the Economic Security Zone.
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has publicly verified that the site is set to be built within the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac. It will operate fully under BCDA Law and the Investors’ Lease Act as a regular business development contract.
In a message to Bulatlat, BCDA said that the scope of the industrial ecosystem will focus on AI computing infrastructure, data centers, and semiconductor supply chains. Both the BCDA and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have clarified that the hub’s massive power requirements will heavily prioritize “renewable energy.”
However, BCDA cannot confirm what specific RE components are being considered. When asked about the significant water usage that the AI hub might use, the agency said that they “don’t know yet as of this time.”
Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (Agham) also condemned the Philippines joining the Pax Silica. “As peoples’ scientists we believe that the initiative will destroy our environment as it needs to extract rare earth metals to produce semi-conductors. The only benefit that we would get from this will be on livelihood, which will be unjust as it will use Filipinos as cheap labor for products we will not use but would meet the needs of other countries like the US,” Alab Ayroso of Agham told Bulatlat.
The condemnation of Pax Silica also reaches beyond borders. Almost 500 individuals from 34 countries condemned the plan of Marcos Jr.’s administration to turn over the 4,000 acres or over 1,600 hectares of land in New Clark City in a solidarity statement by the International League of Peoples’ Struggles (ILPS).
“We are concerned that the Philippines’ rich mineral resources are being positioned as inputs for a global AI and semiconductor supply chain controlled by foreign corporations and imperialist powers,” the statement read. “The Philippine experience with critical minerals extraction and processing is replete with ecological devastation, destruction of livelihoods, and human rights atrocities against local communities, including Indigenous Peoples,” it continues.
Six global and five regional coalitions signed the statement, along with national formations based in Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, China, Ecuador, Germany, Hawaii, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palestine, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, Zambia, and even inside the US.
“Equally disturbing are the links between Pax Silica and corporations and contractors tied to US and Israeli military technologies, surveillance systems, autonomous warfare, and the global arms industry, which reveal the deeply militarized character of this project. The Philippines must not be transformed into a platform for war preparation, the use of technology for war and destruction, and geopolitical escalation of armed conflicts in the Asia Pacific,” the statement further noted.
In the protest, elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) blocked activists from marching towards the US Embassy. Palatino said it is ironic that the PNP protects the US instead of respecting the Filipino people’s right to protest.
“In recent years, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expanded the EDCA sites, broadened the Balikatan exercises, allowed the increased presence of US military troops, and the signing of Pax Silica,” Palatino added.
There are nine approved locations for the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites: five were approved by the administration of Rodrigo Duterte in 2016, while the other four were approved during the Marcos Jr. administration in 2023. It is stipulated in the Article VII of the EDCA that the use of utilities with tax exemption, radio frequencies free of charge, and access to the sites without rental or similar costs.
This year also saw the largest Balikatan military exercises, a partnership of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the US Armed Forces, which involved more than 17,000 military personnel from the US, Philippines, and six defense partners: Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
“Billions of funds are being used by the government – coming from the taxes of the Filipino people – to buy attack helicopters, jet fighters, tactical drones only to use against our own people. It remains clear to our memory what happened to the massacre of Toboso, Negros,” Gabriela Secretary General Clarice Palce said in Filipino. “However, when it comes to the US, their military uses our facilities for free but the budget for its maintenance comes from our budget.”
The Toboso massacre claimed the lives of 10 revolutionaries and nine civilians in a series of military operations on April 19, 2026. “The government uses our funds to intensify its fascist attacks against the communities,” Palce added.
“Independence Day is a reminder that the path forward to genuine independence is to fight for sovereignty instead of kowtowing to foreign powers,” Bayan said in a statement. “We reiterate the call for an independent foreign policy, and we ask all freedom-loving Filipinos to learn from history, honor our heroes, and save the country’s future by expelling all foreign bases and troops from our country.” — With additional interview conducted by interns Richardson Tubo and Trisha Nasam (RTS, RVO)
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