Philippines eyes US$40 billion from Pax Silica hub as Tarlac farmers worry about their land
Officials say the New Clark City hub could create about 130,000 jobs, while residents say they are not being told enough about the project.
O'Donnell village, part of the Tarlac province town of Capas to the north of Manila, has been farmer Mander Matias's home for his entire life. To provide for his wife and their three young daughters, he cultivates sweet potatoes, squash and rice. A planned technology hub near his community has him worried about whether the family can stay on their land, according to CNA.
Big numbers for the hub
The hub is linked to the Philippines' pledge to take part in Pax Silica, an initiative led by the United States. Its goal is to protect worldwide supply chains covering critical minerals, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The Philippine government has set aside a 1,620ha site in New Clark City, Tarlac, with construction expected to start in 2028.
According to officials, the country's standing in electronics manufacturing and semiconductors could be strengthened by the project, which might also draw investment of no less than US$40 billion and generate roughly 130,000 jobs.
Residents say they are not being told enough
Little is known among indigenous communities and farmers about the development, they say, including how it might affect their homes and livelihoods. Matias said: "They don't tell us enough about the project." He said people arrive with letters asking residents to sign documents, and told CNA, "They don't tell us what is happening."
Protests have also broken out in Manila over the project, while a number of lawmakers have demanded an official inquiry into what it might cost and deliver.
Capas mayor Roseller Rodriguez has asked the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), the agency overseeing the proposed site, to engage with the community. He said: "We're not saying we're against Pax Silica, what we're saying is please afford us with public consultations so we know the details of the project and BCDA will hear our concerns and issues so that those concerns and issues will be properly resolved."
Marcos responds
On Tuesday (Oct 13), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said the development posed no threat to local livelihoods or to indigenous cultural heritage, ancestral burial grounds among them. He said: "I cannot see how such a development will endanger local livelihood," citing the jobs that the project is expected to create.
