Today the flags were raised, printed banners were held up, and loud voices were heard in the late afternoon. A group of school organizations stood just outside the campus of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.
These students, teachers, and academics voiced their opposition against US President Donald Trump. They stood on the sidewalk of C5 at the corner of Magsaysay Avenue to share their grievances against the US President’s Pax Silica initiative.
The U.S. Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Jacob Helberg, heads this initiative. Six countries initially signed up for this project in December 2025. The first countries that signed are South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Israel, and the United Kingdom.
The Philippines is one of the twenty countries that followed and joined Pax Silica. Fifty companies have shown interest in this project. Philippines’ Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is one of the companies that showed high interest. The BCDA plans to use an area of approximately 1,620 to 4,000 acres in New Clark City. This will allow them to provide an estimated 190,000 local jobs to international partners and mineral processing. Nickel, copper, and cobalt are the locally mined minerals to be processed. This can generate a government income of ₱180 billion.
The protesting group believes it will create several issues once Pax Silica is initiated in the affected region. This can disrupt the natural environment in Tarlac, where New Clark City is located. Indigenous people will be displaced in the affected area.
Five of the 50 companies that showed interest are into robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). AI hubs that could be built in the Philippines show a potential threat. The protesting group believes that these hubs will need data centers. These centers that are built with poor thermal management, can be dangerous to the local water source.
President Trump’s visit to the Philippines next month for the 49th ASEAN Summit could push this project. Philippine President Ferdinand ‘BongBong’ R. Marcos Jr. is leaning towards a deal to benefit Pax Silica.
At least 5 US firms (engaged in robotics and artificial intelligence) have expressed interest out of an initial set of 10 tracked companies for the AI hub project in New Clark City.
The group fears the country will face a lot of environmental and human rights issues if the deal pushes through. The protesters marched on the streets to share their concerns with the public.