DEPARTMENT of Finance Secretary Frederick Go urged Filipinos to stop spreading unverified information about Pax Silica, saying misinformation could undermine a major initiative aimed at strengthening the country’s participation in the global technology supply chain.
“Please stop spreading when you see fake news. When you see news, don’t spread it right away until you understand what it is all about,” Go said during the Mandaue Business Summit hosted by the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026.
Go specifically rejected claims that farmers would be displaced by the planned Pax Silica industrial estate, which he said would cover about 1,600 hectares.
“There is no farmer that is being displaced in the 1,600 hectares. It’s absolutely not true,” he said.
The proposed US-backed Pax Silica has sparked major concerns and petitions over the potential displacement of hundreds of local farmers and Aeta indigenous communities. Farmers and local groups said that hundreds of families relying on local farming and water sources in areas like Barangay Sta. Lucia and Aranguren face the loss of their homes and livelihoods.
Go said Pax Silica is intended to build a logistical and industrial ecosystem supporting the technology industry, including the production of cellphones, laptops, computers and other hardware, as well as participation in the artificial intelligence ecosystem.
He described the initiative as a “generational project” and said the Philippines was fortunate to have been invited to join the consortium.
Go said 23 countries had already signed up to Pax Silica before the Philippines joined as the 24th member.
“This is a consortium of several countries getting together to build a supply chain, an industrial supply chain to build AI technology,” he said.
He also clarified that the 1,600-hectare Pax Silica industrial estate represents only a small component of the broader Luzon Economic Corridor.
“Pax Silica is just probably one percent of the Luzon Economic Corridor program,” Go said, describing it as one industrial estate within the much larger economic corridor.
Go said the Luzon Economic Corridor, initially launched by the Philippines, the United States and Japan, has since expanded to include Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Its flagship project is a proposed freight rail link connecting Subic, Clark, Manila and Batangas, a route selected because about 80 percent of the country’s freight traffic passes through its ports, he said.
Go said the government wants to use the corridor to lower logistics and business costs while attracting more investments.
Go also said the government is pursuing reforms to make the country more attractive to investors, including tax incentives, a new public-private partnership framework, longer government leases, faster right-of-way acquisition and capital-market reforms. / KOC