ON July 13, a coalition of scientists, environmentalists and farmers marched in Manila toward the US Embassy to oppose the proposed Pax Silica artificial intelligence (AI) industrial hub to be built in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.
The groups claimed that local farmers are being asked to leave to make way for the construction of the 4,000-acre hub.
Pax Silica is a coalition of about 30 member countries led by the US, created to secure microchip and AI supply chains away from China's dominance.
The Philippines joined the alliance in April 2026, with promises of job creation, infrastructure development, and economic growth.
Central to the initiative is the establishment of AI hubs, data centers, and rare earth mineral processing facilities in the country.
The Philippine government said Pax Silica will be a “generational project” that will propel the country in the global AI industry. They said it will generate thousands of jobs for Filipinos, but why are scientists opposing the project?
In an exclusive interview with The Manila Times, Dr. Giovanni Tapang of the University of the Philippines College of Science said the project will heavily drain local resources without providing real benefits to Filipinos.
Tapang said the project mirrors past ventures where the country provided land, labor and resources for high-tech industries but failed to reap substantial benefits.
"We’ve been down this road before," he said, referencing earlier attempts to establish semiconductor manufacturing in the country. "We never got to develop our own chip industry."
He explained that while a temporary "blip" or boom of jobs occurs during the construction phase, the operational phase of a data center requires minimal human intervention.
“And how many people do you think (will be given jobs)? Maybe in the construction phase, yes. But the problem is, after the construction, what will we give to the people who will be going in there? It's one big building that's probably automated,” he said.
Tapang — who does extensive research on AI — also dismissed claims that the facility would project the country in the global AI industry, arguing that physical proximity to a data center does not equate to digital access.
“It will not be data centers for ordinary Filipinos. It will be data centers of those private companies who would probably have paywalls around them. And therefore, are the data centers for us?” he said.
He also criticized the massive mining operations of the project, which will extract rare earth minerals, essential for producing semiconductors and AI technologies.
These minerals, such as nickel and gold, are abundant in the Philippines but are typically exported as raw materials to other countries.
"We mine the resources, export them cheaply, and then buy back the finished products at a premium. This cycle does not benefit Filipinos," Tapang said.
He also pointed out the potential environmental damage of hyperscale data centers, as observed in other countries with massive data centers.
Reports indicate that these facilities can consume upwards of 5 million gallons of water daily for cooling. While the Philippines experiences heavy rainfall, Tapang warned that a resource conflict is brewing in rapidly urbanizing areas like Clark.
"If the requirement of a data center is that big, and it's the one who pays... then the people who can't pay for their water will lose out," Tapang cautioned.
Land use: a form of ‘neocolonialism’
For Tapang, Pax Silica represents a continuation of the Philippines’ historical subservience to foreign powers.
He described the initiative as a form of “neocolonialism," where the country’s resources and labor are exploited for the benefit of others.
"The Philippines is the only country in the alliance offering 4,000 acres of land," he pointed out.
According to the US Embassy, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) gave a two-year break on rent payments.
The yearly rent starting in the third year will be decided in a future agreement.
While the final plan for the project is still not finished, the country hopes to sign an initial agreement before the end of the year.
The BCDA said that the area will not be under US law, and American staff will not get diplomatic immunity.
“There are two laws that will govern the transaction here: the Investors Lease Act and the BCDA Law, which is confirmed by the Department of Justice,” said BCDA President and CEO Joshua Bingcang.
Tapang also linked Pax Silica to the broader geopolitical rivalry between the US and China, suggesting that the Philippines is being used as a pawn in this contest.
"We’re giving away our land, our resources, and what do we get in return? Promises?" Tapang said.
"This isn’t about the Philippines versus China; it’s about those who want to take our resources. We’re being framed as a willing participant, but in reality, we’re just being used," he said.
Jommer Medina, chairman of Pro-People Engineers and Leaders (Propel), said that while no final details were laid out, the site could be an opportunity for corruption.
He said the new roads and transport networks resemble the flood control scandal, where public infrastructure was used to divert government funds.
“These are opportunities again for corruption, because these (projects) are being laid out before the Pax Silica agreement: the railways in Clark traveling through SCTEx are dubbed as public infra to be used by ordinary Filipinos, but it’s really to support this agreement,” he said.
“There are already people making money there, and they will continue making money out of it,” he added.
As negotiations are underway, the scientists urged the public to voice their concerns and oppose the building of the hub.
“Pax Silica is not the answer,” Tapang said.
