President Marcos touts US-led Pax Silica as boost for Philippine tech sector

At a forum in Singapore, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed strong enthusiasm for the US-led Pax Silica initiative, seeing it as a way for the Philippines to climb the semiconductor value chain into R&D and design. The plan envisions a large hub in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac, covering about 1,620 hectares and projected by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority to draw $40-70 billion in investment and generate close to 200,000 jobs over ten years.

Critics have raised questions about the project's impact on local farms, water and power supplies, prompting the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to note the absence of a formal impact assessment and the Department of Agriculture to begin its own review. The Senate agreed to convene a committee to scrutinize the concerns. Marcos linked the effort to broader ASEAN initiatives on AI and the upcoming Digital Economy Framework Agreement, emphasizing workforce training for emerging technologies.