TARLAKENYO — The Catholic Church’s social action arm has formally rejected the proposed Pax Silica Industrial Hub in Capas, Tarlac, warning that the U.S.-backed project threatens Indigenous communities and farming livelihoods while lacking transparency on funding and control.
In a statement released over the weekend, Caritas Philippines said it “opposes” the 1,620-hectare technology zone “in its present form,” citing unclear answers on who will manage the facility, where its massive energy and water requirements will come from, and which communities will bear the environmental and social costs.
“The site is not empty land,” said Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos, president of Caritas Philippines. “It is home to Aeta Indigenous families, farmers and rural communities whose rights and livelihoods must come before corporate and geopolitical interests.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. touted the hub as a centerpiece of his economic agenda during his fifth State of the Nation Address on July 27, describing it as an advanced manufacturing and logistics center within the Luzon Economic Corridor that would “create an eco-system that will have AI at its core” and bring quality jobs to Filipinos.
But Church leaders argue that the project, spearheaded by a 23-member U.S.-led coalition formed in December to secure semiconductor and critical mineral supply chains, risks turning the Philippines into a mere supplier of raw materials and cheap labor rather than a genuine technology partner.
Alminaza stressed that the real question is not whether the Philippines should industrialize, but what kind of industrialization benefits Filipinos.
“The Philippines cannot call it industrialization if we remain suppliers of raw materials, low-value components and cheap labor,” he said.
Genuine development, he argued, should build Filipino ownership, technology and manufacturing capacity rather than extract resources for foreign-controlled supply chains.
Cardinal David raises moral stakes
Adding to the Church’s opposition, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David urged the Philippine government to demand transparency and technology transfer in the Pax Silica initiative, warning that without proper safeguards, the nation risks “remaining merely a source of raw materials and cheap labor.”
Beyond economic concerns, the Cardinal raised a moral caution regarding artificial intelligence, emphasizing that technology must serve humanity to build “a civilization of love rather than a culture of power.”
His remarks underscore a growing unease among faith leaders that the rapid push for AI and semiconductor infrastructure could outpace ethical considerations and benefit foreign interests at the expense of local communities.
Caritas said it supports industrial growth that respects human dignity, environmental integrity, national sovereignty and the participation of affected communities. But it maintained that any project that takes from the land and its people without giving them lasting benefit “is not progress.”
Alminaza further warned that Pax Silica must not become a pretext for land conversion, displacement, destructive mining or the diversion of electricity and water away from public use.
