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Philippines plans 1,620-hectare AI hub as part of Pax Silica
The Manila government targets a framework agreement with Washington within two to three months and expects the hub to start operations in about two years.
South China Morning Post reports the Philippines is moving ahead with plans for a hi-tech hub on a 1,620-hectare site north of Manila, positioning it as a gateway for AI, semiconductors, and critical minerals under the US-backed Pax Silica effort.
The project is set for New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac province, about 100 km north of Manila, according to SCMP Economy, and the state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority said it is working to finalize a framework agreement with Washington within two to three months.
The hub would be tied to turning former US military bases into economic growth centers, with SCMP Economy citing BCDA President and CEO Joshua Bingcang as saying operations are likely to begin in about two years.
Bingcang said the initial investment would be US$10 billion and that the development could create “hundreds of thousands of jobs,” while critics worry about contested land, livelihoods, and impacts to scarce water supplies, according to the report.