Petronila Munoz, a Filipino chieftain, pointing at the proposed land where the Pax Silica Hub might be built in Capas, Tarlac province
Capas (Philippines) (AFP) - Tribal leader Petronila Munoz
With little information and no prior consultation, the Indigenous chieftain said her Aeta Hungey tribe was uncertain how much of their land could be affected or what will become of the livelihood it provides.
“There’s still no clarity,” Munoz told AFP inside the tribe’s traditional meeting hall.
“What will happen to us? That’s our biggest question.”
In April, the United States announced that the Philippines had joined Pax Silica, a US-led effort to strengthen supply chains for semiconductors and rare earth elements and reduce participating countries’ dependence on China.
The Philippines has designated a 1,620-hectare (4,000-acre) site in New Clark City in Tarlac province, north of Manila, for a manufacturing hub aimed at producing high-end components for use in artificial intelligence data centres.
The government estimates the initiative could attract up to $70 billion in investment and create about 190,000 jobs, a major boost to a country with more than three million unemployed people.
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