A multisectoral group demanded that the draft Pax Silica agreement be made public as the Philippine government announced that there would be no signing of it during United States President Donald Trump’s visit for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said that the draft’s disclosure should include all provisions related to territorial control, legal jurisdiction, regulatory exemptions, taxation, and security arrangements, as well as the rights and privileges being sought by the Trump administration.

The group stressed that the Filipino people have the right to know. “We say no to secret negotiations or backroom deals involving Philippine territory, jurisdiction, and sovereign rights,” Bayan said in a statement.

Read: Why Pax Silica is bad for the Philippines

Before the confirmation of Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo that there would be no Pax Silica framework signing during the ASEAN Summit, it was reportedly being targeted during Trump’s visit this month although there was no official announcement on the matter.

Under the Pax Silica initiative, a 1,600-hectare industrial hub called Clark Advanced Manufacturing Park (CAMP) is planned to be constructed in New Clark City, Tarlac, being promoted as an economic security zone (ESZ) that would strengthen shared supply chains in semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

The multisectoral group suspects that the recent development has something to do with the “greater concession” of the US to the Philippines.

US Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg earlier shared in a podcast the two phases of the plan. The first phase, he said, included the US State Department’s move of “taking into custody” the ESZ, while the second one was for long-term development.

The US plan of taking the hub into its custody, however, was denied, according to Joshua Bingcang, president and chief executive of the state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), treating the project as a “regular business development contract.” 

Read: US, Malacañang urged: ‘Disclose the true nature of Pax Silica’

During a joint meeting of House committees on Economic Affairs and the Trade and Industry on November 11, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co raised Bayan’s suspicion, to which Rodolfo replied that they have yet to have a sit-down negotiation with the US, only exchanges of documents and ideas.

Bingcang said that they are now negotiating with the US for the commercial arrangement. On the concern regarding the nation’s sovereignty, he said that it has already been addressed, assuring that the ESZ shall be governed by two Philippine laws, namely the Investors’ Lease Act and the Bases Conversion and Development Act.

Aside from issues concerning national sovereignty, the Pax Silica initiative was opposed due to community displacement and possible environmental degradation and unequal economic benefits. 

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio called on the Philippine Congress to examine any framework or agreement that commits the nation’s territory and resources to the interest of foreign countries. (DAA)