Authored By: Angel Karamae E. Llobrera
Victory Elijah Christian College
Definition of Pax Silica
On April 16, 2026, the Philippines signed an agreement with the United States, joining a network of countries, with other signatories such as Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia, Finland, India, Israel, Qatar, Singapore, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates. (United States Department of State, 2026). Pax Silica aims to build a secure, resilient technology supply chain by having the signatories commit to reduce “dependency on concentrated supply chains, coordinate investment in strategic technology stacks, and build trusted digital ecosystems including data centers, fiber-optic networks, and AI platforms. The supply chain includes critical minerals, energy input, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, and AI infrastructure (United States Department of State, 2025).
According to Eddie Ramer (2026), director of Avasant, the reason why the Philippines was chosen to participate in the agreement was due to a “combination of resource endowment, industrial capability, and strategic positioning” that was valued for the network. Philippines is the fifth most mineralized country in the world, with an estimated USD 1 trillion in untapped reserved of copper, gold, nickel, zinc, and silver (Bunye & Evangelista, 2026). The country also sits within the Indo-Pacific trade routes, becoming a window to major manufacturing corridors in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The agreement stipulates that the Philippines establishes an Economic Security Zone, sitting within the Luzon Economic Corridor which connects of Subic Bay, Clark, Manila and Batangas (U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, 2026). The planned site for the Economic Security Zone rest in New Clark City within the Tarlac province, an area with the Sierra Madre mountain range on the east and the Zambales mountain range on the west.
Protests
When Marco Rubio, the U.S. State Secretary arrived in the Philippines on Wednesday 22 July 2026 for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, he was greeted with protestors and the police who were clashing in Pasay. The group of protestors gathered to “denounce Rubio’s visit, U.S military presence in the Philippines, and the Pax Silica Economic Security Zone in New Clark City Tarlac” (Gonzaga, 2026).
There were other militant, political and local groups who protested, such as former Bayan Muna (a progressive political party representing various marginalized people) Representative Teddy Casino who warned the public during the State of the Nation Address ng Samabayan, or People’s SONA, on 27 July 2026 (Serquina, 2026), people who protested on Kalaw Avenue in Manila during heavy rain (Balaoing, 2026), and the indigenous Aeta leaders and farmers from Capas, Tarlac who spoke during a press conference on 6 August 2026 (Magbanua, 2026). These groups of people protest due to the probable damage that the project might cause to the environment and existing ecology, and the notion that the United States cannot be trusted due to history, according to Charlie Wayne Caraga, a member of Kabataan Party-list National Capital Region.
Additionally, on 31 August, a group of 200 individuals representing more than 70 organizations gathered and created the Network Opposed to Pax Silica (NO to Pax Silica) in Quezon City. These people mainly comprised of the indigenous Aeta tribe, the farmers of Tarlac, social and environmental activists, faith-based groups, youth, students, members of the scientific community, and other concerned sectors (Cua, 2026). They have voiced their stances that the group will be visiting the Indigenous tribes and farming communities that are residing in the area and will mainly be affected by this project.
There are also those who argue, such as labour and agricultural groups, that the Philippines might be economically dependent and prioritize the strategic interests of the United States of America over local issues and development (Ramer, 2026). There has been a long history of slow response and corruption of the Filipino government, and local citizens are concerned that the prioritization of the government of foreign interests will be a new source of conflict between the Philippine government and the citizen.
Governing Laws, Acts, and Statutes
The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 or Republic Act No. 8371 was enacted to secure ownership and sustainable resource rights for Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) or Indigenous Peoples (Ips) over their traditional lands, traditions, and cultures. Any projects regarding the ancestral lands of the indigenous communities such as mining, logging, and others must complete the Free and Prior Informed Consent process to secure a Certification Precondition before any person, partnership, or company is able to legally operate within the area. A Free and Prior Informed Consent is legally defined as a “consensus” of indigenous communities determined through their customary laws, free form external coercion and obtained fully after disclosing the activity’s scope” (Republic Act No. 8371, 1997).
The Philippine Mining Act of 1995 or Republic Act No. 7842 is the primary law that governs the exploration, development, utilization, and conservation of mineral resources. There are three main categories of permits that must be acquired by any individual, partnership, or company that will grant rights to mining operations: (1) an Exploration Permit which grants the right to search for mineral resources in an area, (2) Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) which states that the government has a share in the production, and (3) Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) which is required for large-scale operations, allowing high or full foreign equity participation. An Environmental Compliance Certificate is also required under environmental laws before any mining project or operation can be initiated. This law recognizes and protects the rights of the Indigenous Cultural Community and requires the consent Indigenous Cultural Community (Republic Act No. 7942, 1995). One case that can be referred to is the Lone Congressional District/Provincial Government of Benguet vs the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company. This case emphasized the protected rights of the indigenous people, having the company adhere to the rigorous Free and Prior Informed Consent process that has been mandated by the court (G.R. No. 244063, 2022).
The Clean Air Act of 1999 or Republic Act No. 8749 is designed to protect and enhance air quality and safeguard public health. This is primarily aimed towards preventing and controlling air pollutants, having industries and individual held responsible for generating the pollution legally and financially accountable for rehabilitation (Republic Act No. 8749, 1999). In October 2018, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources fined over 200 business establishments operating in Boracay Island due to violation of various environmental laws. They were fined a total of PHP 43 million and about 110 business establishments were fined a total of PHP 1.5 million due to violation of the requirement to secure a permit to operate all sources of air pollution from the EMB (Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 2018).
The Clean Water Act of 2004 or Republic Act No. 9275 is enacted to protected, preserve, and revive the quality of all fresh, brackish, and marine waters in the country. It aims to protect the country’s water bodies from pollution from land-based sources and establish a national framework for water quality management. It focuses on reducing and controlling pollution from industrial, commercial, agricultural, and domestic activities before reaching the domestic waters. Facilities that generate wastewater are required to secure a proper wastewater discharge permit from the Environmental Management Bureau according to Section 27c of Republic Act No. 9275 (Republic Act No. 9275, 2004). Among the 219 business establishments that were fined in Boracay, 72 establishments were fined a total of PHP 2 million for “operating facilities that discharge regulated water pollutants without a valid discharge permit” and 5 establishments were fined a sum of PHP 39 million for discharging untreated wastewater (Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 2018).
Current State of the Project
As of the moment this article is being written, there was no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that was been concluded. More specifically, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna stated that “there has been no environmental impact assessment applied for or processed” due to the fact that there is “no clear project description” in regard to the Economic Security Zone or the Pax Silica agreement (Gregorio, 2026) (Committee on Appropriations, 2026).
The Environmental Impact Assessment is conducted by the DENR to assess the direct and indirect impacts of a project on the biophysical and human environment. The ensure that the impacts are addressed by appropriate environmental protection and enhancement measures. (Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, 2003). This is a necessity for any projects as per the Presidential Decree No. 1586 written by former President Ferdinand Marcos, which states that any person, partnership, or company must attain an Environmental Compliance Certificate and comply to the standard, rules, and regulations set by the National Environmental Protection Council. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has now replaced the National Environmental Protection Council (Philgov, 2026) and now has the authority to issue the Environmental Compliance Certificate and fine violators.
There also has been no Free and Prior Informed Consent that has been submitted by the indigenous groups of the concerned area, making it difficult to implement the project. The opposition of the indigenous groups have a well-known history of delaying or cancelling projects such as the Didipio Mine in Nueva Vizcaya opposed by the Tuwali-Ifugao and Bugkalot people, causing it to be suspended temporarily and delayed operationally (Enano, 2019).
The lack of information regarding the project is delaying the DENR’s ability to conduct an EIA. This also implies that the public is also unable to determine on whether the project will be beneficial to the livelihoods of the Filipino People or whether it will be detrimental to their daily lives, polluting the surrounding ecology and destroying the local ecosystem.
Reference(S):
United States Department of State (2026). The United States and The Philippines Launch Plans for 4,000-Acre Economic Security Zone to Shore Up Supply Chains: First AI-Native Industrial Acceleration Hub Under Pax Silica. United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/04/the-united-states-and-the-philippines-launch-plans-for-4000-acre-economic-security-zone-to-shore-up-supply-chains-first-ai-native-industrial-acceleration-hub-under-pax-silica/
United States Department of State (2025). Pax Silica Summit. United States Department of State. Pax Silica Summit – United States Department of State
Ramer E. (2026). Pax Silica and the Philippines: What the New Economic Security Zone Means for Global Supply Chain. Avasant. https://avasant.com/report/pax-silica-and-the-philippines-what-the-new-economic-security-zone-means-for-global-supply-chains/
Bunye, P. & Evangelista, R. (2026). Mining 2026. Chambers and Partners. Mining 2026 – Philippines | Global Practice Guides | Chambers and Partners
U.S. Embassy in the Philippines (2026). Fact Sheet: Luzon Economic Corridor. U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. Fact Sheet: Luzon Economic Corridor – U.S. Embassy in the Philippines
Gonzaga, P. (2026). What Everyone needs to Know About Pax Silica. Rolling Stone Philippines. Pax Silica Explained: The Philippines’ Role and the Backlash
Serquina, M. C. (2026). Militant Groups Reject Pax Silica; say Pinoys at a Disadvantage. GMA News Online. Militant groups reject Pax Silica; say Pinoys at a disadvantage | GMA News Online
Balaoing, B. (2026). Groups Protest vs Pax Silica. ABS-CBN. Groups protest vs Pax Silica | ABS-CBN News
Magbanua, S. (2026). Aetas Draw Line on Pax Silica. Daily Tribune. Aetas draw line on Pax Silica | Daily Tribune
Cua, A. (2026). Coalition vs Pax Silica launched. The Manila Times. 70 groups oppose US-led Pax Silica project in Philippines, call for ESZ re-evaluation | The Manila Times
Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) (Republic Act No. 8371) 1997 (Philippines)
Philippine Mining Act (Republic Act No. 7942), 1995, ch 3 s 17 (Philippines)
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (2018) Over 200 Boracay Establishments fined P43M for Environmental Violations. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. https://r7.denr.gov.ph/news-events/over-200-boracay-establishments-fined-p43m-for-environmental-violations/
Lone Congressional District of Benguet Province, Represented by Hon, Ronald M. Cosalan, Representative, Petitioner, vs. Lepanto Consolidated Minig Company and Far Southeast Gold Resources, Inc., Respondents (G.R. No. 244063), 2022 (Philippines)
Clean Air Act (Republic Act No. 8749), 1999 (Philippines)
Clean Water Act (Republic Act No. 9275), 2004 (Philippines)
Enano, J. (2019) Gold mining suspended; group asks for return of land to the Ips. Inquirer.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1178417/gold-mining-suspended-group-asks-for-return-of-land-to-ips
Gregorio, A. (2026) No environmental impact assessment processed on Pax Silica – DENR. ABS-CBN. No environmental impact assessment processed on Pax Silica – DENR | ABS-CBN News
Committee on Appropriations – Budget Briefing/Hearing of the FY 2027 Proposed Budge (2026). House of Representatives. COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS – BUDGET BRIEFING/HEARING OF THE FY 2027 PROPOSED BUDGET: (DENR)
DENR Administrative Order DAO No. 2003-30 (2003) Department of Environment and Natural Resources
PhilGov (2026) A Comprehensive Guide to the Department fo Environment and Natural Resources (DENR): history, Functions, Services, and FAQs. PhilGov.org. A Comprehensive Guide to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR): History, Functions, Services, and FAQs – Philgov.org
