The U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative drew protest in Manila on Nov. 9, as GABRIELA warned that a proposed development under it could harm Indigenous and farming communities and women workers.
LiCAS.news described a GABRIELA-led women’s march toward the U.S. Embassy. Euronews and the Daily Tribune reported placards with messages including “Trump Out” and “Resist US-Led Wars.” LiCAS.news quoted GABRIELA Secretary-General Clarice Palce as saying the group rejected Pax Silica. LiCAS.news reported that GABRIELA also raised possible risks to ancestral land, natural resources and women’s livelihoods.
The Philippines joined Pax Silica as its 13th signatory on April 16, the U.S. State Department said. A Palace briefing on Oct. 14 confirmed President Donald Trump’s planned visit for the 49th ASEAN Summit. The demonstration came as the Philippines continued preparations for the summit; EconoTimes previously reported that Metro Manila would have three special nonworking days for the meetings.
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority’s (BCDA) proposal, dated April 9 and sent to the State Department on April 16, names New Clark City as the proposed location for a coordination office in an area of about 4,000 acres in the Luzon Economic Corridor. The document leaves the parcel’s precise limits and legal description for a later agreement. It also leaves the annual lease payment from the third year onward for future discussion.
The State Department’s April account described the proposed zone as an industrial center meant to bolster supply chains and called it Pax Silica’s first AI-native Industrial Acceleration Hub. BCDA’s proposal, by comparison, sets out a coordination office. GMA News and The Philippine Star reported that U.S. Ambassador Lee Lipton said the summit would bring no announcement on the proposed Economic Security Zone. In their accounts, Lipton said decisions would follow consultations with the Philippine government; the reports gave no date for a decision.
