PRESS RELEASE| 1 September 2026

Environmental Justice Organization BAN Toxics joined the public launching of Network Opposed To Pax Silica (NO to Pax Silica) yesterday, August 31, 2026, in Quezon City, raising the question of who will really benefit from the US-led initiative and at what expense. 

The network, composed of at least 70 organizations representing farmers, Indigenous Aeta communities, workers, scientists, environmentalists, faith-based groups, youth, and artists, is the first multisectoral initiative to collectively raise opposition against Pax Silica and the proposed establishment of an Economic Security Zone (ESZ) in New Clark City, Tarlac,

In his talk during the launch, Thony Dizon, Campaign and Advocacy Officer of BAN Toxics, and one of the conveners of the network, said that Pax Silica will only perpetuate the decades-long economic framework of allowing large foreign investors to plunder the country’s resources while “our communities bear the consequences of displacement, health hazards, and toxic pollution from mine tailings and emissions.”

“With the government’s plan to prioritize the mining and processing of critical minerals under Pax Silica, how will the government ensure that after 30 years, we are not left with a contaminated environment and depleted natural resources?” Dizon said, adding that instead of favoring foreign large-scale mining, the government should instead support small-scale miners to develop a truly independent, national industry that would serve the country’s interests.

Dizon also warned of the possible influx of imported electronic waste or e-waste as one of the sources of critical minerals. He said foreign-owned recyclers in Subic have already been importing e-waste for critical minerals recovery or “urban mining,” with the US as one of the main sources. “We have monitored since the past year that the SBMA has allowed the illegal importation of e-waste from the US under the guise of ‘circular economy,’ in violation of the Basel Convention.  We are concerned that Pax Silica will be used to justify e-waste importation, turning our country into a dumping ground of developed countries, and potentially pollute our environment and expose workers to toxic health hazards.”

BAN Toxics also criticized the government’s “double-speak” and “lip-service” in defending Pax Silica such as on whether farmers and indigenous communities will be displaced. During the launch, Apung Petronila Capiz-Muñoz, Aeta Chieftain of Sitio Sapang Kawayan in Capas, Tarlac, said that government efforts to force out their communities to give way for road building have begun. She said there are about 1,000 families in their ancestral land alone that will potentially be displaced.

“Kami po ang tatamaan, paano na lang kaming mga katutubo at kapwa mamamayang magsasaka? Sa amin, ang lupa ay buhay,” (We will be the ones hit hardest, what will happen to us, the indigenous peoples and fellow farming citizens? To us, land is life.) the chieftain said, adding that they are now facing harassment and red-tagging from government soldiers due to their opposition to Pax Silica. “Meron bang kaso ang aming karapatan sa pagtutol sa inyong proyekto dahil kami ay mawawalan ng kabuhayan? Paano naman po ang aming salinlahi?” (Is there a case against our right to oppose your project just because we will lose our livelihood? What about our future generations?)

BAN Toxics also called out the government for being similarly ambiguous on whether Pax Silica will include data centers, as the issue has been heavily criticized due to questions on water and energy requirements, as well as reports of impacted communities in the US itself, where residents near data center facilities have raised concerns over rising utility costs, water scarcity, and pollution.

“To date, the government has not categorically and finally said that there will be no data centers under Pax Silica. US citizens themselves are opposing the construction of data centers in their own areas. If we allow them here, it becomes just like the e-waste issue, where we simply accept what the US throws out,” said Dizon.

According to Dizon, the question of who will really benefit from Pax Silica is simply rhetorical, as current and historical evidence shows that such an initiative will only benefit U.S. geopolitical and economic interests. “Straight from their own mouths, U.S. officials declare that Pax Silica is a mechanism for competing with China and building an American alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, he added.”

“Pax Silica will serve U.S. corporate profits and global dominance at the expense of our own people and environment. We call on the Philippine government not to proceed with this initiative and, instead, to focus on building our own independent industries and finding genuine solutions to protect our environment and our people. Reject Pax Silica.”

Network Opposed To Pax Silica (NO to Pax Silica) Unity Statement | Sign the Petition:

https://tinyurl.com/UnityStatementNoToPaxSilica

#NoToPaxSilica #RejectPaxSilica #ProtectAncestralLands #PeopleOverProfit #ENDWasteColonialism