21/07/2026
𝐏𝐀𝐗 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀: 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐎 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄?
The Philippines is being offered a grand promise: Pax Silica, a massive technology and semiconductor hub in New Clark City, said to bring wealth, jobs, and modern progress. But progress that costs us our water, our land, our food, and our freedom is not progress at all—it is a bad bargain. 𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗡𝗢 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝘅 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮.
First, it will drain our most precious resource: water. Estimates show the plant could need up to 19 million liters of water every single day. Central Luzon already suffers from serious water scarcity, especially during dry seasons. When a foreign-owned industrial hub takes that much water, who loses out? The farmers who grow our rice, the families who need water to drink and wash, the communities who have lived here for generations. We cannot trade the survival of our people for a few foreign factories.
Second, it threatens our land and our food security. The project plans to convert vast areas of prime agricultural land into industrial zones. These are the very fields that feed Central Luzon and beyond. Displacing farmers and indigenous communities is unacceptable. If we lose our farmland, we lose our ability to feed ourselves.
Third, it endangers our sovereignty and independence. Proposals include long-term leases and special terms that could place the zone under foreign control. Philippine laws may not fully apply there. We risk becoming not partners, but servants in our own land. We will give our minerals, our water, and our land—while the profits, technology, and power remain in foreign hands. True development means building our own industries, not handing over our territory to others.
Finally, the environmental cost is too high. This project will worsen power shortages and bring pollution to our watersheds and forests. We are being asked to sacrifice our environment—our heritage and our future—for technology we may never truly own.
Progress should benefit every Filipino—not just a few. Before entering partnerships like this, our government must ensure that our rights, our environment, and our national interests are fully protected. The future of the Philippines should always be decided with the Filipino people in mind.
𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲.
Pax Silica takes too much and gives back too little. It does not serve us—it serves foreign interests. We do not need progress that destroys us. We stand for our people, our rights, and our nation. And for that reason, we say clearly and firmly: 𝗡𝗢 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝘅 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮.
🖊: Celedio, A. & Custodio, MJ.
💻: Malazarte, R.
