BCDA, US to sign Pax Silica master agreement

THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is expected to sign a master agreement with a United States government agency for the development of the Philippine hub under the Pax Silica initiative, Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said.The agreement would provide the framework for the hub's development and the entry of locators, Rodolfo added, noting that it will be anchored on Republic Act 7844, or the Export Development Act of 1994, and RA 7227, or the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992.Pax Silica is a US-led initiative aimed at building secure supply chains for artificial intelligence, semiconductors, critical minerals and advanced technologies.The proposed Philippine hub in New Clark City has faced opposition from civil society, environmental advocates, scientists, farmers and other groups over concerns about possible displacement, the conversion of agricultural land, heavy water and power use, environmental damage and the implications for national sovereignty.Critics have also questioned whether the…