'Fox Silica'? Presidential aspirant Sara Duterte has no clue what Pax Silica is
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte expressed confusion and declined to comment when asked about the US-led 'Pax Silica' AI coalition. The initiative, which the Philippines joined in 2025, has faced criticism from local groups regarding its potential environmental and social impacts.
Why it matters
The lack of awareness from a high-ranking official regarding a major international tech partnership highlights potential gaps in policy oversight and public discourse on AI infrastructure.
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The candidate to beat for 2028, Vice President Sara Duterte, has no idea what the United States-led Pax Silica initiative is and has no comment on it — for the time being.
The veep was at The Hague, in the Netherlands, on Tuesday, July 28, to visit her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and entertained questions from supporters and vloggers outside of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) detention center.
There, she was asked, “Do you know anything about [Pax Silica]?”
Her response was a brief moment of confusion over the wording of it and a quick “ Wala. Ako? (Nope. Me?) I cannot comment on that.”
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