Catholic bishops and Protestant leaders, Christian youth and environmental activists are joining forces to halt “Pax Silica,” an AI hub megaproject backed by the United States. Critics fear that this project would drain Central Luzon’s water and power supplies and displace Indigenous communities. 

Inked in April 2026, “Pax Silica,” is a U.S.-led worldwide network aimed at protecting supply chains for computer chips, AI tech, and vital minerals. The Bases Conversion and Development Authority has set aside 1,620 hectares in New Clark City in Tarlac for this project, which will be an industrial district for mineral processing sites and automated data centers. 

Government officials say the project will turn the Philippines into a worldwide tech powerhouse, but church groups and civil society organizations disagree.

Caritas Philippines President Bishop Gerardo Alminaza called on the national government not to make any binding guarantee all at once. 

“Who really gains from this megaproject?” Bishop Alminaza said in a press briefing last September 22, 2026. “The government should not make irreversible commitments without full transparency, independent assessment of cumulative ecological risks and clear guarantees that the land rights of Indigenous Aetas and local water security will not be sacrificed.”

Protestant leaders raised similar concerns. The United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) has raised questions on the moral basis of the program, saying the technological growth of foreign powers diminishes local sovereignty and control over the environment.

UCCP officials have observed in the theological argument over the project’s name that the concept of Pax in history, from Pax Romana to Pax Americana, is a peace imposed by dominant powers to ensure obedience and control over lesser states. This corporate-led peace was contrasted by UCCP bishops with biblical Shalom – a peace based on justice, community equity and appropriate management of the environment.

The UCCP Christian Youth Fellowship (UCCP-CYF) also released a statement that forcefully rejects the economic exploitation of ancestral areas in an official declaration. “Land and water are sacred gifts from God. They cannot be turned into commodities for the profit of a few to the ruin of our communities.”

“Technological advancement loses its moral authority when it is done at the cost of displacing Indigenous Aeta families and rural farming communities without real consultation,” the youth group added.

Gerry Arances, executive director of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), also sounded the alarm on the disastrous impact the megaproject would have on the country’s energy security and consumer pricing.

“And why is Pax Silica a big problem for the Philippines? 3 gigawatts of power is not straightforward… And most likely, the corporations that will actually be investing in Pax Silica will not build their own facilities. That would involve raising the price of their products,” Aranes said. 

“Filipino families are already paying some of the highest electricity rates in Asia and yet this project needs huge amounts of energy to run foreign AI hubs and mineral processing,” he explained. “If the government subsidizes foreign corporations with continued power supply while taking away from an already overburdened grid, everyday consumers will experience more frequent power outages and even higher monthly electric bills.”

In the face of these threats, Caritas Philippines, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) and the UCCP are calling an immediate halt to all agreements until the full environmental and social impact evaluations are published.

Church leaders and civil society partners clarified that they are not against science or technology but as their united pleas say, they are appealing for national development that is mindful of human dignity, local resources and putting Filipinos first. (RTS, RVO)