MANILA, April 17 (NNN-Bernama-PNA) — The Philippines has joined the United States-led Pax Silica initiative, a strategic coalition among 14 states to create a secure supply chain for semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.
Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo, also the Managing Head and Vice Chairperson of the Board of Investments, signed the declaration signifying the Philippines’ joining of Pax Silica on April 17.
Through this, the US Embassy in Manila on Friday said the Philippines and the US will establish a 4,000-acre industrial zone in the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) to serve as the “first AI-native industrial acceleration hub under Pax Silica.”
The site will serve as a staging point for a purpose-built platform for allied manufacturing– an investment acceleration hub, where specific industrial activities can be shaped by market demand.
“Situated within the Luzon Economic Corridor, the Zone can leverage the Philippines’ geographic centrality in the Indo-Pacific, its young and technically skilled workforce, and its deepening alliance with the United States,” said the US Department of State.
This economic security zone, the embassy said, will provide host-country comparative advantages and support the evolving needs of the Pax Silica network.
The US positions Pax Silica as a “positive-sum partnership of nations” who want to enhance AI and supply chain security.
The Philippines is the thirteenth Pax Silica signatory, joining Australia, Finland, India, Israel, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Singapore, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the US. Additional signatories are expected to follow.
— NNN-BERNAMA-PNA