A technological war called peace
A technological war called peace
| Sophia Delos Trinos
An initiative for technology advancements — was this really a good decision for us, or is it just war disguised as peace?
It will not benefit us, and our involvement will not do us any favours.
Pax Silica, coming from pax, the Latin word for “peace,” and Silica from Silicon Dioxide, is a US-led initiative to improve and secure the silicon supply chain for advancements in manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and logistics.
In April 2026, it was announced that the USA and the Philippines plan to build a 4,000-acre (or 1,620-hectare) Economic Security Zone (ESZ) in New Clark City, Pampanga. The US and its allies will use critical raw materials from the country to strengthen overall tech supply chains and compete with China.
The ESZ is the size of the Mall of Asia (MOA) multiplied by 38. It isn’t a small project. It is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) native hub, with the goal of strengthening supply chain resilience amongst allied nations.
While this seems like a good advancement for us, especially in technology, AI has been under fire and criticism for how much water it wastes just for people to be able to generate content and use it. AI consumes one to five million gallons of water daily; that’s the size of 1 to 7.5 olympic swimming pools.
Pax Silica’s goals can be summarized into one: to reduce China’s control over the tech-manufacturing sector. But does the Philippines really need to get involved in this geopolitical rivalry?
Being involved in a dispute between two global superpowers is not in the Philippines’ best interest, especially since we’re a less-developed country compared to the USA and China.
Allowing expansions, especially on a larger scale, threatens the environment of various provinces. This is important because the US has already made military installations at Clark, Pampanga, and Subic Bay, which have caused contamination of soil and groundwater.
Considering the ESZ will most definitely consume a ton of water, its destruction of the surroundings will be evident. We should speak out and let the government know not to be so trusting of these countries, considering history.
Signing an agreement like this also allows other countries or foreign companies to target rural areas if they plan to create structures like the ESZ or things related to Pax Silica. It will threaten the lives of indigenous communities and farmers.
Their homes and livelihoods will be substituted for AI advancement, and the country won’t do anything about it if it means they get another new data center for AI.
The Philippines doesn’t profit as much from the work we’ll have to do. It provides job opportunities, but it also takes the jobs of those who need them to survive.
Pax Silica only promotes the US’ interests and its goals of being a global superpower. They use natural resources of other countries to ensure their own economic stability.
In the State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2026, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) addressed Pax Silica in his speech.
“…the Pax Silica Industrial Hub will create an eco-system that will have AI at its core. It will bring quality jobs to our people, accelerate our industrial competitiveness, and revitalize our economy. Al is here to stay, and so we adopt it to harness its potential to enhance critical sectors.”
He failed to address the backlash from Filipinos about Pax Silica. Only mentioning the benefits while not acknowledging the harm AI causes to our environment is not a good way to reassure your citizens. PBBM failed to realize that we don’t want to hear about the benefits but to actually have our fears and concerns addressed. We should not let this be buried without an answer or statement.
It is not for us, the Filipinos. In their eyes, we are expendable. We are just a mere pawn in the US’s game of chess. Letting our country become part of the competition between the US and China will make us a future target if ever an actual war happens.
By joining the Pax Silica initiative, we worsen our tension with China, which is already in a bad state given that we are butting heads with them.
Overall, Pax Silica feels like a way to declare a war on China that is buried by calling it a restoration of balance or reducing the monopoly. Joining a shared mission to compete with China makes it harder to avoid future conflicts. We already face enough issues inside our country alone.
We cannot afford to let these much more powerful nations into our lands; they depend on our resources, and by joining the initiative, we allow them to rob us of the things we are rich in.
We must let our voices be heard and our concerns addressed, because this will definitely get out of hand. By being part of it, we will receive the consequences.