Concerns regarding the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative were totally brushed aside in President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s most recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), but that hasn’t stopped other government officials from chiming in.
Marcos only briefly touched on the project in his speech on Monday, July 27, saying, “It will bring quality jobs to our people, accelerate our industrial competitiveness, and revitalize our economy.” While critics were left dissatisfied with this, more public officials have directed their attention to the controversy.
Among them is the president’s sister, Senator Imee Marcos, who posted a video on July 24 calling the pursuit of rare earth minerals in the Philippines an “environmental hazard.”
“Para salain, kinakailangan pala ng tone-toneladang tubig, galon-galon,” she said. “Mauubos ang Pantabangan [Dam], Angat, Magat. Papaano na ang mga magsasaka?”
Her fellow lawmaker, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, likewise said that the Pax Silica project must be studied further to see if it meets national interests, especially in terms of the environment. “Kailangan nating pag-aralan nang mabuti dahil malaki siyang foreign direct investment. Ang isang prinsipyo kasi na pinanghahawakan ko sa pag-consider diyan ay capital with purpose at pambansang interes sa usapin ng ating kalikasan,” she said in an interview following the SONA.
Meanwhile, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan had more to say about Pax Silica in a statement posted on social media. “Kung makakatulong itong palakasin ang industriyang Pilipino habang pinoprotektahan ang mga komunidad at kalikasan natin dito sa Pilipinas, nararapat lamang itong suportahan,” he said. “Pero kung ang kapalit ay ang muli at lalong panggigipit sa gipit na, at ang paggamit sa kalikasan nang walang sapat na safeguards, at para lamang may iilang limpak-limpak ang pakinabang, ‘yun ang hangganang hindi ko tatawirin.”
He added, “Kailangang dumaan sa butas ng karayom ang pagbubusisi at pagbabalangkas ng [Pax Silica].”
The Akbayan Partylist has also filed a House resolution seeking a probe into the Philippines’ involvement with Pax Silica and to analyze its effects on the economy, environment, community, and national security. “We cannot allow our country’s economic fate to be decided solely on unproven promises,” Akbayan said in a statement published on Wednesday, July 29. “Congress must steadfastly do its role in sifting through the details of Pax Silica and see if it promotes our country’s sovereign interests, upholds ecological integrity, creates decent work, and leads to sustainable innovation and industrialization.”
Gov’t Agencies Speak on Pax Silica; Sara Duterte Stumbles
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said that the Pax Silica hub will not affect the country’s energy supply. “It could be [that] they build their own power plant, or another way is that they can get somebody to build a power plant especially for them,” she said on Wednesday. According to her, the Department of Energy is creating a circular to determine the hub’s options for energy supply.
On Monday, acting Environment Secretary Juan Miguel “Mitch” Cuna said that he was “looking forward” to the Pax Silica project and said that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will ensure environmental compliance will be strictly observed.”
“We look forward to a big project like this that will provide jobs and help our economy, but we will definitely not sacrifice the environment for the Pax Silica,” said Cuna.
Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, meanwhile, praised the project, calling it a “step toward national resilience” and that criticizing the project “without realizing the challenges that this country and the future generations need to meet” is a “bigger challenge” for the country.
For her part, Vice President Sara Duterte’s comments — or lack thereof — regarding Pax Silica raised even more concerns. Duterte, who aims to run for president in 2028 and currently faces an impeachment trial, was unable to provide her thoughts on the project when reporters at the Hague, Netherlands, asked her. “Fox silica?” she said. “Wala, I cannot comment on that.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Pax Silica is a U.S.-led initiative in the Philippines that involves the construction of a 1,618-hectare industrial hub for AI in Tarlac. It is controversial due to environmental concerns over water use and questions about national interest and sovereignty.
Sen. Imee Marcos warned that rare earth processing requires massive water volumes, risking depletion of the Pantabangan, Angat, and Magat dams — water farmers depend on for irrigation.
Asked about Pax Silica in the Hague, Sara Duterte appeared unfamiliar with the project, mishearing it as “Fox Silica” and declining to comment further.
Representatives of the Department of Energy, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Department of National Defense have all given statements addressing concerns related to Pax Silica, including those related to energy supply, environmental compliance, and national security.
Akbayan filed a House resolution seeking a probe into Pax Silica, calling for scrutiny of its impact on the economy, environment, community, and national security.
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