Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Francis Orcio

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA -- Two advocacy groups challenged the Bases Conversion and Development Authority&#x27;s (BCDA) claims about the proposed Pax Silica Economic Security Zone, arguing that promises of jobs, clean energy and economic growth overlook the project&#x27;s potential costs to agriculture, water resources, workers and Indigenous communities.</p><p>In separate statements issued ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.&#x27;s fifth State of the Nation Address, Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM) and the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) challenged BCDA&#x27;s claims that the 1,620-hectare project would create jobs, rely on renewable energy and avoid displacing local communities.</p><p>AGHAM said BCDA&#x27;s public statements present &quot;an incomplete picture&quot; of the project&#x27;s implications.</p><p>The science advocacy group disputed the agency&#x27;s claim that Pax Silica would not displace farmers and Indigenous Peoples, pointing to reports that residents of barangays O&#x27;Donnell, Aranguren and Santa Lucia in Capas, Tarlac have already been identified as project-affected persons.</p><p>&quot;According to data from the Capas municipal LGU, over 30% of its land area is considered productive agricultural land,&quot; read from AGHAM&#x27;s statement.</p><p>&quot;There are also Aeta communities in the area of New Clark City (adjacent to the Pax Silica site) whose ancestral lands are not formally recognized by the NCIP. These are the farmers and IP groups that will be displaced,&quot; it added.</p><p>AGHAM also questioned BCDA&#x27;s assertion that the project would primarily run on renewable energy, saying hyperscale AI data centers require uninterrupted electricity that intermittent sources such as solar and wind cannot consistently provide.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/7/24/pax-silica-to-build-own-power-sources-to-cover-3-gigawatt-energy-needs-bcda-0000"><strong> READ: Pax Silica to build own power sources to cover 3-gigawatt energy needs: BCDA</strong></a></div><p>The group argued that the project&#x27;s projected demand of three to five gigawatts would likely require fossil fuels or other energy sources, while supplying even half of that demand through solar farms would require more than a thousand hectares of additional land.</p><p>The organization likewise challenged BCDA&#x27;s assurance that the project would rely on surface water harvesting instead of community water, saying diverting rainwater for industrial use would still reduce groundwater recharge and diminish water available for farmers and downstream communities.</p><p>&quot;There are reports in other countries how communities are now dealing with dirty tap and drinking water due to nearby operations of AI data centers, the same centers Pax Silica wants to bring into our country,&quot; the statement read.</p><p>&quot;This claim by the BCDA also raises the question how water needs of the project will be met in situations of drought or low rainfall, which are becoming more frequent with worsening climate change,&quot; it added.</p><p>The group also rejected assurances that the project would have no military applications, arguing that artificial intelligence, semiconductors and microchips have long been used for both civilian and military purposes.</p><p>&quot;The BCDA and the Marcos Jr. administration are clearly desperate to whitewash their environmentally destructive and unsustainable Pax Silica project with the United States. The facts are clear, a project of this scale will invariably impact local farming communities negatively, and will not present any clear, long-term opportunities for the genuine development of our country,&quot;  said AGHAM spokesperson Prof. Giovanni Tapang.</p><p>Tapang said the project would deepen the country&#x27;s dependence on foreign industries instead of strengthening domestic production.</p><p>&quot;Instead of lopsided agreements with a warmongering imperialist power, what we need is a robust national industrialization policy that prioritizes the products Filipinos actually need, food, provision of social services, among many other things, placing people and planet first over profit,&quot; he said.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/7/24/environmental-advocates-express-concern-over-planned-pax-silica-tech-hub-2335"><strong>READ: Environmental advocates express concern over planned Pax Silica Tech Hub</strong></a></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>LABOR, LAND ISSUES</strong></div><p>In a separate statement, UMA argued that Pax Silica would worsen agricultural backwardness by accelerating land conversion in Central Luzon, threatening food sovereignty and exposing communities to environmental and health risks.</p><p>Beyond environmental concerns, UMA said the proposed economic zone would reinforce low wages in rural areas instead of improving workers&#x27; conditions.</p><p>&quot;Imbis na itaas ang mababang sahod sa kanayunan, ipang-aakit pa ito ni Marcos Jr. sa mga imperyalista,&quot; said UMA national chairperson Ariel &quot;Ka Ayik&quot; Casilao.</p><p>UMA also disputed BCDA&#x27;s claim that the project would generate around 190,000 jobs, saying the agency has not disclosed the quality of those positions. The federation noted that prevailing daily minimum wages in much of Central Luzon stand at P570 for agricultural workers and P600 for non-agricultural workers, less than half of the estimated P1,312 family living wage.</p><p>The group argued that portraying these conditions as beneficial amounted to misleading the public.</p><p>&quot;Ano&#x27;ng gusto ni Marcos Jr. at ng BCDA, pasalamat tayo na mababa ang sahod sa kanayunan? Executive gaslighter ka talaga para palabasing nakabubuti sa bansa ang Pax Silica,&quot; the federation said.</p><p>UMA also linked the proposed economic zone to broader issues of landlessness and agrarian conflict, noting that Tarlac has long been a center of peasant struggles and that previous developments, including New Clark City, displaced thousands of farmers and Indigenous Peoples.</p><p>&quot;Mababakas sa Pax Silica ang totoong lagay ng bansa, lugmok sa kaayusang malakolonyal at malapyudal. Para buwagin ang kaayusang ito, dapat ding buwagin ang Pax Silica,&quot; the federation said.</p><p>BCDA has since defended the project, saying Pax Silica is envisioned as an industrial and innovation hub for artificial intelligence, semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries that could generate investments and employment while developing its own power infrastructure to lessen pressure on the country&#x27;s power grid. </p><p>The agency has also said the project intends to use renewable energy and surface water harvesting to minimize its impact on surrounding communities.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="960" height="540" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Jb8aG1wyTc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><strong></strong><br/></div>

<p>Two advocacy groups challenged the Bases Conversion and Development Authority's claims about the proposed Pax Silica Economic Security Zone.</p>

Two advocacy groups challenged the Bases Conversion and Development Authority's claims about the proposed Pax Silica Economic Security Zone.

Scientists, farm workers dispute BCDA's Pax Silica promises

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Scientists, farm workers dispute BCDA's Pax Silica promises

Francis Orcio,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 26, 2026 04:25 PM PHT

Read More:

Pax Silica

Bases Conversion and Development Authority

Data Center

Artificial Intelligence

Advocates of Science and Technology for the People

Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura

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