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Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) CEO Joshua Bingcang in a press briefing on Thursday, July 23, addressed various concerns regarding the United States-led Pax Silica initiative, which is within the country's deal of the proposed 4,000-acre (about 1,620 hectare) "Economic Security Zone" in New Clark City, Tarlac.

The initiative was internationally launched in December 2025 to secure supply chains for semiconductors, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence technologies. Bingcang has addressed various concerns on the project such as water scarcity, displacement of indigenous peoples, mining, and Philippine sovereignty, as opposition had grown steadily. (Video courtesy of RTVM)

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Transcript
00:00Ito po, no, kagaya po ng standard practice po ito ng BCDA to make sure that when we do development,
00:07we start with a good plan and consultation to all stakeholders.
00:12Kami po, nakikinig kami dyan.
00:13At ang isa po namin pinaka binibigyan ng importansya ay compliance on environment.
00:22Makikita po ninyo dyan, bagaman 1,600 hectares po ito.
00:26Pero under our master plan, kailangan at least 40% ay open space.
00:33So, hindi rin naman nila lahat magagamit yun.
00:35Kung hindi, ang iba ay magiging parke, open space.
00:39Kasi yan ang gusto ng mga workers ngayon to increase productivity.
00:43At yan po, magkakaroon tayo ng sustainable water management po dyan.
00:48Pwede ko rin i-explain ko po mamaya at itong ating clean and green energy.
00:53In fact, kagaya po nang nabagi ko kanina, ang mga member countries po ng Paxilica, sila rin ay advocate po
01:03ng strong on UN, yung pong environmental sustainability and governance goals.
01:10Kahit sila mismo, chicheck nila kung ang Pilipinas, ang proyekto ay compliant.
01:17Magiging compliant sa ganitong mga requirements din nila.
01:22Sila rin ang unang titingin, ang proyekto ba nito ay magko-comply sa ganyang strictong environmental regulation.
01:33At sinisiguro natin na magko-comply tayo dyan.
01:37Next.
01:39Ito po, recently po, ako marami na rin pong nagtatanong nito.
01:44Sabi, ang Paxilica project ay baka ubusin ng tubig because of the data centers na ilalagay.
01:51Well, unang-unang po, kagaya na sabi ko, maaring mag-invite tayo ng data centers.
01:55But it's not all about data centers.
01:57Ang gusto, unang-unang po, hindi rin strong on job generation ang data centers.
02:04Ang gusto natin dito is high-quality job generation.
02:07Kaya manufacturing businesses and companies ang target natin.
02:13So sabi dito, makikipag-compete sa limited na community water.
02:19Hindi po.
02:19In fact, naral na rin namin po yan na meron na kaming proposed na project dyan.
02:27At ang PPP Center ay in-endorse na sa amin.
02:30Yung isang proposal dyan.
02:31Ang target namin dyan ay surface water harvesting.
02:35Ang ibig sabihin yan, lalo na po ngayon, papasok na ang rainy season,
02:39huge amount of volume of water, rainwater, dumada po po dyan.
02:45And then, kung left on top, ay babalik sa dagat.
02:48So ang gusto natin dyan ay magkakaroon tayo ng impounding technology
02:53o impounding dam area.
02:55So upunoyin natin ang mga yan para yan ang magamit.
02:59In fact, yung proyekto na ito ay,
03:01sa una naming tansya ay co-consume ng mga 65 to 90 million liters per day.
03:08Yung mga industriya na add doon.
03:11Pero yung initial design na ginawa namin ay nasa 120 million liters per day.
03:17Pwede pa namin siyang i-ramp up up to 300 million liters per day.
03:22Gamit ang technology nito.
03:24Anong ibig sabihin?
03:25Sapat po yung tubig na pwedeng pagkuhanan doon.
03:28Hindi ito groundwater extraction.
03:31Kundi ito yung technology na gusto namin i-propose.
03:35At kung may surplus kami, pwede pa namin i-share ito sa mga community around.
03:41Kaya nga po, isa sa mga principles din namin ay yung inclusive, socially inclusive development.
03:49Gusto namin kabahagi natin ang mga communities around sa pag-asenso.
03:54So pwede, pwedeng-pwede natin i-share itong magandang technology at mapakinabangan din nila.
04:01Of course, with technology comes better economies of scale.
04:05Makakaasa sila better quality and more economical costs.
04:11Next.
04:12Sabi nila may lumabas, it will displace indigenous people, yung mga katutubo natin na kapatid na andon.
04:20Hindi po totoo ito.
04:21Dahil unang-una, alam nyo po ang Clark Special Economic Zone, Preport and Special Economic Zone ay more than 30
04:30,000 hectares.
04:32Ang naibigay na po namin sa ating indigenous people group ay more than 15,000 hectares.
04:41Kalahati.
04:4210,000 hectares nandun po sa Bamban.
04:46Binigay na po natin sa kanila yun.
04:48Para sa kanila po yan.
04:495,000 sa may Porak.
04:52Bago lang po yan.
04:52In fact, ang nakuha po nila sa Porak at Florida Blanca ay more than 18,000 hectares.
04:58So, inaral na po namin na meron na pong nakalaan para sa mga indigenous people na lugar para sa kanila.
05:06Na pwede silang mamuhay ng naayon sa kanilang kultura at tradisyon.
05:11Ito po, ang proyekto pong ito, unang-una ay nakatitulo na sa BCDA.
05:17So, it's a public land.
05:20Wala pong ancestral domain title doon.
05:23Pangalawa, ay naka-earmark na ito sa pagbuo pa lang ng BCDA law noong 1992 na ito ay industrial development.
05:34So, na-classify na po siya as such para makapag-contribute ng development sa Central Luzon,
05:41lalo na pagkatapos ng pagputok ng Mount Pinatubo.
05:45Maraming na displays na trabaho.
05:47So, yun, ang lahing ng gobyerno ay makabuo muli ng mga ganitong quality jobs.
05:53Okay, next.
05:54Ang sabi, magmimina doon.
05:56Hindi po.
05:57Hindi po namin a-allow yun.
05:59Ang mangyari po dito,
06:00so, mayaman po tayo sa ating resources.
06:04So, at source, pwede na po i-process doon.
06:08At dalhin dyan yung mga component sa Clark po, sa Faxilica.
06:12At doon, i-process, i-develop, at i-export natin.
06:15O kaya, maaari din na sa mga member countries,
06:19manggaling yung mga components, critical minerals,
06:23na bahagi nitong AI hub project natin.
06:28Okay, next.
06:30Ang sabi din po, baka gamitin ito for defense.
06:34Andun po ako mismo nung kasama si Ambassador Romualdez.
06:38Lagi po, ito po, pwede ko naman share nung pipirma ang Pilipinas na sumali sa Faxilica Summit Coalition.
06:46Tinanong po mismo ni Ambassador Romualdez,
06:49head po ng US State Department assigned for this project,
06:56which is the undersecretary for Mr. Helberg, na bumisita rin dito.
07:00So, sabi ni Ambassador, will you manufacture defense-related products recommend?
07:07Sabi niya, no, not at all.
07:09Hindi.
07:10It's purely commercial.
07:12So, at yan ang gusto naman natin.
07:14Ganitong klaseng business na magpapalago sa ating ekonomya.
07:20Okay, next.
07:21Ang sabi rin eh, yun nga, masisira ang environment.
07:24Hindi po, na-explain ko na kanina,
07:26na hindi po tayong mag-agawa.
07:28At kami po ay susunod, no?
07:31Hindi lang kami, at dahil,
07:33in our contract po kasi,
07:35this will be like any other commercial contract,
07:39business contract,
07:40that BCDA has entered into the past
07:42and will be entering with other investors,
07:46both local and international,
07:48na they all should comply with regulations.
07:52Halimbawa, yung pagkuhan ng ECC,
07:54lahat po ng mga projects namin,
07:56kumukuha ng ECC.
07:57Hindi kami magsisimula kung wala yun.
07:59At hindi lang nagtatapos doon, no?
08:02May monitoring pa.
08:03Kailangan kami,
08:04merong kaming commitment na we will comply with the,
08:08for sustainability,
08:09na compliant kami sa environmental regulations.
08:13So, ang DNR din,
08:14maglalagay rin siya ng team, no?
08:16Ang ginagawa na po namin niya sa airport,
08:18sa Subiclar Expressway,
08:19minomonitor nila yung quality ng tubig,
08:21yung quality ng hangin,
08:23na it should be at international standards,
08:26na hindi makakapahamak sa environment at sa mamamayan.
08:31Okay, next.
08:33At ito po, no?
08:35Malinaw na rin po,
08:36hindi na ito usapin kung aling batas ang masusunod.
08:39Una-una po, kami,
08:41BCDA,
08:42guided kami kung anong po pwede lang.
08:44Hindi rin naman po kami pwedeng mag-commit ng lampas sa aming mandato.
08:49So, ito pong kung anumang magiging arrangement na gagawin natin doon ay
08:55sa Philippine laws.
08:57Kagaya po, nabanggit na namin dati yung Investor's Lease Act natin,
09:01na po, na lalong napaganda pa dahil maraming incentives,
09:05at tinitingnan nila yan,
09:06at yung BCDA law.
09:08Kasi allowed kami to enter into all kinds of business models.
09:12Pwedeng lease, joint venture, concession, or other modes pa ho.
09:17So, ito po, wala na sa table of discussion with the other parties.
09:24Okay, next.
09:26Okay, so in short po, no?
09:28Gusto ko lang isummarize po na itong proyekto po nito ay,
09:32at kami naman ay maganda po na lumalabas din yung mga ganitong concern
09:37ng ating iba't ibang sektor.
09:39At nakikinig kami kasi kabahagi yan ang tinatawag namin
09:42stakeholders consultation.
09:44Nakikinig kami.
09:45Pero, ito lang po ang masasabi namin na yung proyekto nito ay napangganda
09:48dahil siguradong panalo ang Pilipinas at panalo ang Pilipino.
09:53Dahil, i-recap, no?
09:57Paxilica, New Clark City, is envisioned as a Philippine hub for industries of the future.
10:04Pangalawa, it is intended to create better jobs for Pilipinos
10:08and build capabilities that will remain in the country.
10:14Pangatlo, Philippines can help us move,
10:17Paxilica can help move the Philippines higher in global value chain.
10:21Sinasabi nga, imbes na maging bystander tayo
10:25ng ganitong mga pinag-aagawang industriya,
10:28na nilalampas-lampas na lang tayo,
10:30ay magiging builder na tayo,
10:32magiging sentro na tayo mismo
10:34ng ganitong mga activities.
10:37And then, this hub will create a new engine for investment,
10:43nabanggit ko na po,
10:44for exports and regional growth.
10:46And then, this will be governed by Philippine law.
10:51Environmental protection,
10:54especially for the surrounding communities,
10:56remain non-negotiable.
10:59Priority po yan.
11:00At ang last po, the government ay recognize
11:04the public confidence must be earned
11:06through transparency and consultancy.
11:09So, ito po yung laging nasa isip namin
11:13habang kami po ngayon ay binubuo namin itong proyekto nito
11:16at naisin namin na sana ay mangyari po ito, no?
11:21Kasi napakagandang opportunity to be the next big thing for the Philippines.
11:25Salamat po.
11:38Salamat po.
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