THE US State Department said the Pax Silica initiative, a 4,000-acre semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) hub set to be built in New Clark City, will operate “within legal requirements.”
In a virtual press briefing, Ambassador Heather Variava, senior advisor in the Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs of the US State Department, told The Manila Times that American investments in the country will prioritize high legal standards and tangible public benefit rather than community disruption.
“We work within the parameters of our legal structures,” she said, adding that any agreements would meet the legal requirements of both countries.
She noted that while the two programs are connected, the Luzon Economic Corridor remains a distinct initiative focused on what she called “additive” economic growth and critical infrastructure.
“Any investments or activities we undertake are designed to be additive, meaning we will add more power, we want to add more water, we want to add more infrastructure so that we can have these investments and that the people of the Philippines can benefit, whether it’s through jobs, [or] whether it’s through a more vibrant economy,” she said.
The ambassador noted that developmental projects under the corridor aim to expand existing capacities rather than deplete local resources, ensuring that Filipinos directly gain from new commercial opportunities.
She also pointed to specific, high-value projects within the LEC agenda aimed at improving everyday livelihoods, such as agricultural logistics, through the expansion of cold-storage networks to bring fresh food to local markets; digital infrastructure; and economic resilience.
On Thursday, protesters — led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and opposing the proposed Pax Silica initiative — staged a lightning rally in Taguig City during the Luzon Economic Corridor Investment Forum.
They then continued their protest at the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) satellite office in Tarlac — the office that oversees the Pax Silica initiative.
During a Senate hearing for the Pax Silica technology hub in August, Capas, Tarlac Mayor Roseller Rodriguez said locals will only approve of the project if residents in the affected construction area are properly relocated.
“If they will be relocated, that would be better. Because in the previous projects of the BCDA, there was no relocation. Once they were given financial assistance, there was none,” he said in an interview.
He added that locals whose lands will be used for the projects were promised by the BCDA to be compensated at P300,000 per hectare, with a maximum of 5 hectares.
“So meaning to say if you’re a farmer and you have 12 hectares, the 7 hectares will be taken by the BCDA, only the 5 hectares will be paid,” the mayor said.
He noted, however, that burial grounds remain non-negotiable, as these are “very sacred” to locals.
The BCDA has since said that while the initiative is still under negotiation with the US, they are listening to the concerns of the people.
