Malacañang made light of Vice President Sara Duterte’s apparent confusion over the Pax Silica initiative on Thursday, with a Palace spokesperson turning the moment into a broader point about public awareness of the controversial project.
The remarks came when Palace press officer Claire Castro was asked at a briefing to weigh in on a petition seeking the initiative’s suspension. The petition, filed by the activist coalition Bayan together with the International League of People’s Struggle, has drawn more than 387,000 verified signatures, according to reports.
Rather than dwell on the petition itself, Castro turned her attention to whether those backing it fully grasped what they were opposing. She noted that inaccurate claims about the project had been spreading online, arguing that petitioners ought to understand the specifics before committing their names.
“Sa ating mga kababayan, sa mga lahat ng pumirma diyan, we hope na noong pumirma kayo ay alam ninyo ang detalye patungkol dito,” Castro said.
She went on: “Hindi sila [walang] muwang, hindi sila mangmang sa kung ano ang Fax Sili…Pax Sili? Pax Silica, sana alam nila talaga kung ano ang nilalaman ng agreement na ito.”
The stumble over the project’s name was deliberate. It echoed Duterte’s own fumbling with the term during a trip to The Hague, Netherlands, last month, when the Vice President was pressed on her stance regarding the US-backed development slated for New Clark City in Tarlac.
Duterte, seemingly caught off guard, told the interviewer, “I cannot comment on that.”
That clip spread rapidly across social media. Duterte addressed the fallout at a separate event in the Dutch city, telling those gathered: “If they cannot respect a ‘no comment,’ you should not lose sleep over it. That is their problem. That is not your problem.”
Pax Silica, launched by the United States in December 2025, is envisioned as a multinational effort to secure supply chains for artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and critical minerals. The Philippines signed on in April 2026, offering roughly 4,000 acres inside New Clark City for what officials describe as an AI and advanced manufacturing hub.
