Philippine Indigenous communities push back against planned AI hub
Indigenous Aeta communities in the Philippines are resisting a planned 4,000-acre technology manufacturing hub linked to the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative. Critics argue the Luzon Economic Corridor project could displace people and strain local water and energy resources. Protests outside a September investors' forum resulted in injuries and arrests, and a final agreement is expected in November.
The Luzon Economic Corridor launched in 2024 and covers the Philippines’ largest island. Pax Silica, a U.S.-led effort to create an AI and semiconductor supply chain outside China, includes it. In April, Washington and Manila announced a 4,000-acre manufacturing hub in Central Luzon, planned inside New Clark City, a state-designed smart city within the former U.S. military Clark complex.
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority oversees Clark. Its chief estimated the hub would require roughly 3 gigawatts, mainly solar, citing abundant sunshine. Operating steadily, it could consume about 26.3 terawatt-hours yearly—close to the nation’s entire 2024 service-sector use of 28 TWh. A signing is anticipated for November.
The planned hub could affect Indigenous Aeta and nearby communities if land access, water, and energy demands increase. Displacement or resource strain may deepen local opposition, while promised technology investment could bring jobs and infrastructure to Central Luzon. Because protests have already led to injuries and arrests, the project may intensify debates over who benefits from AI-driven development and how environmental costs are shared.