The Philippines’ proposedPax Silica hubhas placed about 1,000 Aetas in Capas, Tarlac, in an unresolved land and livelihood dispute. GMA News, carrying an Agence France-Presse report, says the government designated 1,620 hectares in New Clark City for high-end components used in artificial-intelligence data centers. The site is part of Pax Silica, a US-led effort to strengthen semiconductor and rare-earth supply chains. The industrial vision is still a proposal: the report says no tenants have been confirmed and the project has a long timeline.
The immediate concern is consultation. Aeta Hungey leader Petronila Munoz told AFP that the community has received little information about which occupied lands could be affected. In July, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority warned that the project “could affect your occupied lands.” Munoz said BCDA staff told residents to leave by December and offered relocation about 16 kilometers away, while the community rejected a reported P30-per-square-meter offer. BCDA declined specific questions and temporarily withheld the site’s boundary map and geospatial data, citing pending official action.
BCDA’s April announcement confirms a 4,000-acre New Clark City allocation for a Pax Silica Coordination Office, described as a “Golden Node” for technology firms, research institutions and government agencies. It says the initiative covers critical minerals, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, and frames New Clark City as a smart, resilient and green metropolis. Government estimates cited by AFP project up to $70 billion in investment and about 190,000 jobs. Those figures are targets, not signed investments or operating facilities; the AFP report says no tenants are confirmed.
The dispute also raises infrastructure and environmental questions before construction begins. Civic groups cited water and electricity demand amid drought and rotational outages, while the US State Department told AFP that environmental, water, energy and community-impact studies should guide the design. BCDA President Joshua Bingcang said investors would be required to build their own power and water systems. The Aetas say their livelihoods and culture are tied to the land, and Munoz questioned why they should bear the cost of development. Consultation with her tribe remained unresolved in the report.
