Indigenous Aeta groups protest land conversion for US-backed economic zone in Tarlac

More than 50 activists, scientists and community leaders visited Ayta settlements in Capas, Tarlac, to record alleged harms from preparations for a new Economic Security Zone under the Pax Silica initiative. They reported cases of forced displacement, land grabs, harassment and the conversion of ancestral and agricultural lands, as well as the demolition of traditional burial grounds without consent. Engineers noted that nearby streams remain unpolluted but warned that extensive earth-moving could jeopardize water supplies and local ecosystems.

The network urged an independent environmental assessment and meaningful dialogue with affected residents. BCDA president Joshua Bingcang maintains that the project will affect fewer than 50 households and that relocation talks have been productive.