US-led Philippine tech hub faces opposition from indigenous people

EconomyOwnership of land allocated for Pax Silica scheme claimed by local communityOpponents of indigenous people's land being used to develop a hub to support the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative protest in Manila during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s State of the Nation Speech last month. (Photo by Michael Beltran)MICHAEL BELTRANAugust 21, 2026 15:16 JSTCAPAS, Philippines -- Tony Gutierrez, the indigenous people representative in the municipal legislature in Capas town, Tarlac province, said he had never heard of Pax Silica before Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mentioned it in his State of the Nation address last month.