Dennis Gaviola

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr delivers his 5th State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on July 27, 2026.  Jonathan Cellona , ABS-CBN News

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2026 SONA - 20th CONGRESS

Arthur Fuentes

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., again touted the Pax Silica Initiative and the Luzon Economic Corridor during his State of the Nation Address on Monday. Marcos said the Pax Silica Industrial Hub will bring tech jobs into the country.“Additionally, a product of the 23-member-strong and US-led Pax Silica Initiative, the Pax Silica Industrial Hub will create an ecosystem that will have AI at its core. It will bring quality jobs to our people, accelerate our industrial competitiveness, and revitalize our economy,” Marcos said.He added that the hub, which will be located in New Clark City in Tarlac, will be a strategic component of the Luzon Economic Corridor, and will have an advanced manufacturing and logistics center in the global AI and technology value chain.”Marcos also said Cagayan is set to host the Philippines’ first “spaceport.”“Cagayan is both geographically and economically primed to serve as our gateway to space and host the country’s first spaceport. A sounding rocket launch test is slated for next year, in partnership with a South Korean aerospace company,” he said. Various groups have opposed Pax Silica over concerns that the facility, which is meant to host     AI data centers, will severely impact power and water usage in the area. Critics also say the facility will displace the indigenous Aetas, who consider the area their ancestral domain. Critics of Pax Silica say the project&#x27;s projected demand of three to five gigawatts would likely require fossil fuels or other energy sources. They also doubt the government’s assurances that the facility will use renewable energy, saying that supplying even half of that projected demand through solar farms would require more than a thousand hectares of additional land.They also challenge the government’s claim that the project would only rely on surface water harvesting. They say that even diverting rainwater for industrial use would still reduce groundwater recharge and diminish water available for farmers and downstream communities.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h4DX6JuTpOE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>

Cagayan will host the Philippines' first spaceport and will have a sounding rocket launch next year, Marcos said.

Cagayan will host the Philippines' first spaceport and will have a sounding rocket launch next year, Marcos said.

Marcos says Cagayan to host spaceport, Pax Silica as ticket to AI industry

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Marcos says Cagayan to host spaceport, Pax Silica as ticket to AI industry

Arthur Fuentes,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 27, 2026 07:14 PM PHT

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Updated July 27, 2026 08:15 PM PHT

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Pax Silica

Luzon Economic Corridor

AI

New Clark City

Marcos Jr.

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SONA 2026

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