Philippine Aetas fear US-led tech hub will force move

About 1,000 Aetas in Tarlac province, north of Manila, fear they could be forced from ancestral land as the Philippines prepares a US-led technology manufacturing hub in New Clark City.

Petronila Munoz, an Aeta Hungey tribal leader, said her community had little information and no prior consultation about how much land could be affected by the project. She said Bases Conversion and Development Authority employees told residents to leave by December and relocate about 16 kilometres away, without providing a master plan showing which parts of their ancestral domain would be affected.

The project is part of Pax Silica, a US-led initiative aimed at strengthening semiconductor and rare earth supply chains and reducing dependence on China. The United States announced in April that the Philippines had joined the initiative. The Philippines has designated a 1,620-hectare site for a hub intended to produce high-end components for artificial intelligence data centres.

The Philippine government estimates the initiative could attract up to $70 billion in investment and create about 190,000 jobs. No tenants have been confirmed, and plans to process Philippine mineral resources domestically could be further away.

Munoz said the BCDA offered residents 30 pesos per square metre for their land, an offer she said all declined. She said the community remained unsure whether the government would help build new homes or provide land to cultivate if residents were moved.

The BCDA declined to address specific questions about the Aetas' situation and rejected a request for the site's official boundary map and geospatial data. It said the information was being withheld temporarily until official action was finalised or published.

At a Senate hearing, BCDA president Joshua Bingcang said the Aetas were living on government land. Like many Indigenous groups in the Philippines, they hold no land title.

Civic groups have raised concerns about the project's environmental impact, including demand for water and electricity. A US State Department spokesperson said environmental, water, energy and community-impact studies would inform the project's design. Bingcang told the Senate that investors would be required to build their own power and water systems.

Munoz said the BCDA had been holding public consultations in Tarlac and nearby provinces but had not held talks with her tribe.