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"I SUPPORT THE PAX SILICA, BUT I ALSO HAVE MANY CONDITIONS"

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said while he supports the planned Pax Silica Industrial Hub in Capas, Tarlac, he also stressed the need to meet several environmental and displacement conditions, during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and Climate Change on the US-led initiative on Friday, Aug. 14. (Video courtesy of Senate of the Philippines)

READ: https://mb.com.ph/2026/08/14/pax-silica-senators-push-for-environmental-displacement-conditions-for-once-in-a-lifetime-risk

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Transcript
00:00First, Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for having a hearing here, especially here at Paxilica.
00:07It's been a long time to study this initiative.
00:12I saw that there are a lot of things that we need to talk about
00:18and a lot of things that we need to talk about here.
00:24First, I saw that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our country.
00:31If it's not to come to our country,
00:34I'm sure to come to Vietnam, to Thailand, to Indonesia.
00:39Other countries will accept it.
00:42One of the biggest jobs is almost 200,000 direct jobs in this initiative.
00:54During the construction phase, almost 800,000 jobs can be made in this place.
01:05Almost 70 billion dollars are invested in this initiative.
01:10At in such a period, it's very difficult for our economy.
01:17If there are people who invest in our country,
01:20it's a big deal for our long-term growth.
01:25Secondly, I saw that this is one of the biggest industry shifts in our country.
01:34The biggest industry that entered our country is the BPO,
01:38Business Process Outsourcing during the 90s.
01:42But in my research and my reading,
01:47if we don't have an industry shift,
01:50this BPO will wipe out the artificial intelligence.
01:54There are a lot of jobs that are lost because of artificial intelligence,
01:59especially the entry-level jobs and low-value jobs,
02:04such as the call centers.
02:07So if we don't have a new industry,
02:11there are a lot of people who have lost jobs.
02:15So, Mr. Chairman, I personally support this PAC Silica.
02:22But there are a lot of conditions and caveats.
02:26Like the negotiations,
02:29when we come to a business,
02:31there are risks,
02:32there are caveats,
02:34there are conditions.
02:35And that's what we need to talk about.
02:38And that's what we need to talk about.
02:39We need to talk about our committee.
02:43The risks and caveats,
02:45First of all,
02:47initiative this initiative is
02:49sang-ayon sa ating saligang batas
02:53at sang-ayon sa ating local laws.
02:56Wala pong compromise ho dyan.
02:58Hindi ho natin pwede isalang-alang ang ating sovereignty o soberenya.
03:03Importante po na ito ay compliant sa ating saligang batas.
03:08Pangalawa,
03:09yung mga environmental concerns na naririnig natin.
03:12Tubig,
03:13isa dyan sa pinakamalaking concern.
03:15Sa mga data centers,
03:18even semiconductor industries,
03:23matakaw ho talaga yan sa tubig.
03:25So importante ho na na-address ho natin
03:27yung demands nitong Paxilica initiative
03:32pagdating po sa tubig.
03:33Pangatlo,
03:34kuryente.
03:37Sawang-sawa na ho tayo sa yellow alerts,
03:40sa red alerts.
03:41Pagpapasok po na isang malaking industriya,
03:43importante po na ma-address ho natin yung kakulangan po sa kuryente.
03:49Pangalawa,
03:50yung displacement po.
03:52Pangatlo,
03:53yung displacement po ng ating indigenous peoples,
03:56mga katutubo ho natin at mga magsasaka ho natin.
03:59Hindi ho natin pwedeng payagan na mawalan ng trabaho ang ating mga magsasaka.
04:04Hindi ho natin pwedeng payagan na ma-displace
04:06o matanggal po sa kanilang lugar ang ating mga katutubo.
04:11Importante po na makatarungan po,
04:13ang ating pagtrato po sa ating mga magsasaka at ating mga katutubo.
04:20At lastly po,
04:21yung technology transfer.
04:23Importante po na natututuho dito tayo.
04:26Hindi ho pwedeng papasok lang ang industriya, aalis, wala tayong matututunan.
04:30Importante na magkaroon po na malinaw ng technology transfer,
04:34lalo na sa ating mga kabataan.
04:36Pinagmamalaki ho natin meron tayong isa sa pinakabatang populasyon sa buong mundo.
04:41Pero kung mang-magneman po yung ating populasyon, wala rin po mangyari.
04:45Kaya importante po na technology transfer na mangyari.
04:52At malapit na ho tayo sa...
04:54Alam niyo, isa sa mga bagay na dapat ho natin ipagmalaki ay ang ating semiconductor industry.
05:00Narinig ko ang dito si Dan, na chika.
05:04Ninth na tayo, tama ba Dan?
05:06Ninth na tayo sa pinakamalaking exporter ng semiconductor sa buong mundo.
05:11Pero low value, mababa po yung value.
05:14At nakakita ko itong paksilika,
05:16from low value tatalon po tayo to high value.
05:20Mas marami ang magiging kita po ng ating bansa
05:24at maraming kabutihan ang pwede pong idulot po
05:29nung kita na makukuha ho natin dito sa initiative na ito.
05:33Kaya meron na tayong base pagdating ho sa semiconductor
05:38pero hindi ho tayo umaakyat doon sa base na yun.
05:40So ito yung nakikita kong susi para from low value
05:43maging high value at mas marami tayong trabaho na maliligha.
05:47Kaya muli mga chairman, maraming maraming salamat po dito sa inyong pagdinig.
05:52At tama-tama ho ito dahil habang kinoconstruct,
05:57binubuo po itong paksilika,
05:58importante po na ang Senado ay magkaroon po ng oversight.
06:02At masigurado na itong mga risk,
06:04itong mga naririnig ho nating mga hinaing,
06:08eh matugunan ho natin.
06:09Maraming maraming salamat po, Mr. Chairman.
06:23Maraming salamat po, Mr. Chairman.
06:24Maraming salamat po, Mr. Chairman.
06:26Maraming salamat po, Mr. Chairman.
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