Senator Raffy Tulfo filed Proposed Senate Resolution No. 571 on Tuesday, August 11, seeking a Senate inquiry into the proposed Pax Silica Hub in New Clark City, particularly its potential environmental and community impacts and whether existing legal and regulatory safeguards are sufficient.
During the Senate session, Tulfo said the experience involving Chuangxing Steel Inc. in Magalang, Pampanga should serve as a warning as the government considers the much larger Pax Silica project.
“The lessons from Chuangxing [Steel Inc.] in Magalang, Pampanga must guide us as we look to another major development, the Pax Silica project. Pax Silica is about 300 times bigger than Chuang Sing as far as size goes. And if we could not handle such a small company, paano pa itong malaking development?” Tulfo said.
While acknowledging the project’s potential economic benefits, Tulfo stressed that transparency and accountability must accompany the investment.
“Investments, of course, are welcome, but transparency and accountability are non-negotiable,” he said.
Tulfo cited projected figures of around ₱600 billion in initial investments, 130,000 to 290,000 direct jobs, hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs, and potentially ₱68 billion to ₱75 billion in annual tax revenues.
However, he raised concerns about the project's potential demand for water, particularly if it involves large-scale artificial intelligence facilities and other technology-related operations.
“Some AI facilities abroad reportedly consume millions of gallons of water for cooling and other operations,” Tulfo said.
He noted that the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is looking at surface water harvesting and water impounding to address the project's water requirements.
But Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, said existing water supply problems in parts of Tarlac and Pampanga must first be considered.
“Kaya bago tayo magdagdag ng isa pang major water consumer, kailangan malinaw saan manggagaling ang tubig. At kapag nagkulang [ang] supply, sino ang bibigyan ng priority?” he said.
Tulfo also called for clarity on the project's actual components and its potential effects on farmers, Indigenous peoples, and nearby communities.
“Ano ba talaga ang tatayo? Data centers? Semiconductor facilities? Ano ang magiging epekto nito sa environment? Farmers? Indigenous peoples? At mga residente sa paligid?” he asked.
He also questioned whether the jobs being projected would directly benefit Filipino workers.
“At kung sasabing lilikay ito ng libu-libong trabaho, anong klaseng trabaho ba ang mapupunta sa mga Pinoy?” Tulfo said.
Tulfo stressed that projected economic gains should translate into concrete commitments.
“Estimates are not guarantees. Kung jobs, livelihood at government revenues ang ipinapangako, dapat malinaw na bahagi ng agreement ang mga commitment na ’yan,” he said.
Through Proposed Senate Resolution No. 571, Tulfo is seeking an inquiry into the Pax Silica Hub to determine whether its environmental and community implications have been adequately assessed and whether existing safeguards are sufficient.
He cited the Magalang experience in emphasizing the need for preventive regulation.
“Development cannot simply be approved today and regulated after the damage appears tomorrow,” Tulfo said.
“Because at the end of the day, we can rebuild infrastructure and recover investments. But damage to our environment and our communities cannot simply be undone.”
