Facts surrounding Pax Silica: There is a better way forward
By: C-Help Team
Facts surrounding Pax Silica: There is a better way forward
Community Legal Help and Public Interest Centre, Inc. (C-Help), together with 350 Pilipinas, is proud to announce the release of our latest policy discussion paper, PAX SILICA AT CLARK: THE TRUE COST OF THE AI RUSH AND A BETTER WAY FORWARD. Beyond the rosy promises and billion-dollar slogans offered by government narratives, our paper delivers a critical, evidence-based look into what is truly at stake with the proposed mega-hub in New Clark City. For anyone who wants to see past the hype and understand how tech development directly impacts our society, environment, and laws, this paper is essential reading.
The decisions made about Pax Silica today will shape the world we live and work in tomorrow. This is not just abstract policy—it directly intersects with our everyday lives. The project’s staggering annual demand of 39 billion liters of water and 3 gigawatts of power threatens to strain local utility grids, deplete regional aquifers, and risk water security. Furthermore, converting over 20,000 hectares of land for supporting infrastructure could divert vital agricultural lands that feed between 250,000 and 600,000 Filipinos every year, raising direct risks to food security and living costs. Ultimately, it challenges our digital sovereignty: will our nation’s resources serve local public needs or be surrendered to foreign hyperscale corporations?
Every Filipino deserves to know the hidden environmental costs, legal liabilities, and governance risks behind the AI rush before public lands, power, and water are irreversibly committed. We urge everyone to read the paper, stay informed, and join us in advocating for a resilient, distributed, and publicly accountable digital roadmap that puts our communities and future first.
Public pressure for the government to seriously consider this mega-hub initiative matters now more than ever. Read further to understand why Pax Silica is not the ideal investment the government proposes it is, and what is the better way forward.
A better way forward: Tech for social need
Technological success should not be measured merely by the volume of foreign investment, but by how well it solves local problems. Technological advancement should not be at the expense of our communities and environment. Instead of a massive Pax Silica project that requires 1,600-hectare land, the government should support smaller, regional data facilities dedicated to essential public uses, such as public hospitals, state universities, disaster-risk systems, and agricultural services.
We also need an educational shift from teaching passive AI consumption to building critical analytical capacities so our workforce can utilize this technology in vital sectors. We must all advocate for AI that empowers Filipino developers, farmers, and healthcare workers. Although Pax Silica promises to employ numerous Filipino professionals, the ultimate beneficiaries of their labor are still in question. Local AI hubs helping local communities would better guarantee that technological gains stay with Filipinos.
Furthermore, the guardrails set by the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals must be adopted to ensure that any digital infrastructure adheres strictly to human rights, environmental limits, transparency, and fair benefit-sharing. A sustainable, localized AI-hub keeps data and decision-making locally accountable, prioritizing community well-being over the growth demands of a few dominant global corporations.
The Hidden costs of the current path
A decentralized approach comes as a necessary response to the staggering resource demands of the currently proposed Pax Silica project. As detailed in the C-Help and 350 Pilipinas policy discussion paper, building this centralized facility would require immense trade-offs. It would demand approximately 3 gigawatts of power and 39 billion liters of water annually. Meeting these energy and water needs could require diverting over 20,000 hectares of agricultural land, potentially depriving up to 600,000 Filipinos of staple food supplies every year.
Without rigorous and expensive recycling technologies, the project risks depleting regional aquifers, polluting waterways, and demanding up to ₱424 billion in upfront infrastructure investments over the next two decades. By prioritizing a distributed digital network over a centralized mega-hub, the Philippines can actively participate in the global tech economy while securing its food, water, and environmental future.
Legal risks should be known to AI investors and shareholders
There are also legal and environmental human rights risks that must be disclosed to Pax Silica’s investors, lenders, insurers, and shareholders. Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology carries a corresponding duty not to impair the environment. Philippine courts have consistently recognized environmental remedies where large-scale harm threatens life, health, or property across communities. If the project proceeds as planned, proponents may face litigation, permitting delays, reputational harm, financing challenges, and heightened scrutiny from ESG-oriented investors.
There are governance concerns that The investors and shareholders should examine closely: whether the project has disclosed its real water and energy demands; whether the corporate boards and public agencies have assessed the long-term climate, land-use, food-security, and human rights risks; and whether there are enforceable safeguards for community consultation, grievance mechanisms, anti-corruption controls, data governance, and benefit-sharing. Failure to address these governance issues could undermine confidence in the project’s long-term viability and expose both public decision-makers and private sponsors to claims of inadequate due diligence.
Pax Silica’s investors and shareholders are urged to treat environmental human-rights compliance and governance transparency as core investment risks. A credible project must prove that it will protect scarce water resources, prevent avoidable ecological degradation, respect community consent and participation, disclose material risks truthfully, and distribute benefits fairly before public land, power, and water are committed to private AI infrastructure.
Even though Pax Silica is still in its proposal stage, history is being written. While the ink has not yet dried, we have a collective responsibility to know as much as we can so we can make informed, relevant contributions to Pax Silica’s public discussion. Read the whole paper on our website.