Property developer exec: Pax Silica initiative good for PH economy

<p><strong>GOOD FOR ECONOMY.</strong> The proposed site of the US-led Pax Silica project in the New Clark City in Tarlac. An official of the Aboitiz Economic Estates on Monday (Aug. 17, 2026) said the proposed project will help bolster the Philippines’ position in the semiconductor value chain and will provide more jobs for Filipinos. <em>(Screengrab from RTVM)</em></p> — **GOOD FOR ECONOMY.** The proposed site of the US-led Pax Silica project in the New Clark City in Tarlac. An official of the Aboitiz Economic Estates on Monday (Aug. 17, 2026) said the proposed project will help bolster the Philippines’ position in the semiconductor value chain and will provide more jobs for Filipinos. *(Screengrab from RTVM)*

MANILA – The head of the Aboitiz Economic Estate considers the planned Pax Silica project in New Clark City as simply another industrial economic zone that will help bolster the domestic manufacturing industry.

Rafael Fernandez de Mesa, President of LIMA Land, Inc. and Head of Aboitiz Economic Estates, said the US-led initiative is “an important starting point” to move the domestic industrial and the semiconductor sectors up.

“They want the Philippines to move up the value chain when it comes to semiconductors and basically the industries of the future, which are very much related to the AI (artificial intelligence, the data. Why wouldn’t we want that (Pax Silica)?,” he said in a media interview Monday.

De Mesa said the initiative is expected to create more job opportunities for Filipinos, which, in turn, benefits the domestic economy.

“So, in my view, I think it’s a positive thing. If we can attract new industry and help the Philippines move up the supply chain, it’s just going to be only a positive thing for the economy,” he added.

The project aims to make the Philippines a major player in manufacturing parts and equipment for AI-related activities.

The Philippines is among the around 20 countries that have signified their intent to join the initiative, with plans to put up an AI hub in an area that will be bolstered by the Luzon Economic Corridor.

Trade officials earlier clarified that no major data centers will be put up inside the AI hub but only those for the use of the locators, countering fears that the project will eat up a lot of data, energy, and water resources that could instead be used by residents in the area. — Joann Villanueva (PNA)