09/18/2026
Thank you to everyone who came out to our event about Pax Silica! Here’s a recap for reflection and for those who missed it.
We started with what the Philippine government promised Pax Silica would bring such as “jobs” and “technology transfer”. But breaking down what those “benefits” entailed, we saw that they are not for the benefit of the Filipino people, but for those in power.
We also collectively discussed the issues surrounding the Pax, asking hard hitting questions such as; Why are we involving ourselves in a US initiative to secure an AI supply chain when our farmers who feed the nation barely get any support from the government? Or even thinking about using up to 90 million litres of water a day for this project?
In the face of such big problems we also discussed victories that we can draw inspiration from. Locally, we had people in Hamilton shutting down a proposed data centre. In the Philippines there were 100,000 people rallying in Luneta Park last year, now known as Baha sa Luneta, opposing corruption in the Philippine government flood control projects. At Baha sa Luneta, the people collectively recognized such scandals as a continuation of the Marcos family tradition of corruption that began with the Martial Law being commemorated.
In the 1 year since the exposing of Marcos Jr’s corrupt flood control projects, in the 54 years since the declaration of Martial Law by Marcos Sr, what has changed in the Philippines?
On one hand, nothing, we remain a country subservient to foreign interests, our farmers are still left using outdated tools, and our government officials continue to fatten their pockets.
On the other, the movement to resist these forms of exploitation in the Philippines has never wavered, only strengthened as seen in Baha Sa Luneta.
Motivated by the dire conditions and victories, we concluded by talking about what we can do here abroad, from educating and gathering support from other people to even going to the Philippines to directly oppose Pax Silica.
Missed the discussion but want to talk about Pax Silica? Reach out to us!
