[Inside the Newsroom] Making sense of Pax Silica

Reporting on the US-backed AI initiative reveals a story that stretches beyond technology — to protests, geopolitics, and the fight over the narrative Covering Pax Silica, the US-led technology and AI coalition that the Philippines joined in April, I knew this wasn’t simply a story about semiconductors or artificial intelligence. It was always about geopolitics — about the Philippines’ relationship with the United States, China’s growing technological influence, and who ultimately stands to benefit from the Philippine government’s AI ambitions. Groups like AGHAM and the Makabayan bloc immediately — and rightfully — raised concerns after the Philippines announced it was joining the coalition. They questioned its environmental costs, the possible displacement of communities, military implications, the promises of jobs and economic growth, and the impact that AI infrastructure could have on water and electricity resources. Recently, people’s interest in the project was reawakened, with a growing, opposing voice. Over the past two weeks, I started seeing Pax Silica in places where I honestly didn’t expect. There were the usual posts from activist organizations and student groups, but there were also videos from creators whose content normally revolves around lifestyle, and finance. A Facebook post listing “things worth paying attention to” put Pax Silica at the top, and spread to Instagram, where it has now been shared more than 100,000 times. Were all of it organic? Were some riding the wave of engagement? At the very least, it has brought the very important issue to the public consciousness. Friends and acquaintances who rarely post anything political were suddenly resharing these. The timing made sense. The online surge coincided with farmer and fisher protests over the possible conversion of agricultural land, fears that their communities could become collateral in a military conflict, and a series of high-profile US engagements in the Philippines. Last week, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said it hoped to sign the Pax Silica framework by November, in time for US President Donald Trump’s visit for the ASEAN Summit. This week, protests continued during US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit. Given the Philippine government’s track record on environmental protection, indigenous rights, and its reputation for being quite accommodating to the United States, this opposition is hardly surprising — and very necessary. A project spanning roughly 1,600 hectares demands more than optimistic promises. (As a meme points out, the Mall of Asia Complex is just over 60 hectares by comparison.) The government owes Filipinos concrete answers about water and electricity use, environmental safeguards, the jobs that will actually be created and sustained, and whether communities around the project will actually be protected. Much has also been written about AI data centers’ negative impacts in the US. The Conversation wrote how one state, for instance, Virginia, is looking at an increase of $14 to $37 in average monthly electricity bills by 2040 due to grid strain from data centers, and how potable water use has doubled, potentially straining local water systems. “The world’s digital infrastructure runs through data centers, and that is not changing. We believe that expanding this infrastructure without protecting the health of surrounding communities is an unacceptable option,” the article said, while also citing ways that more sustainable designs can be pursued. Will the Philippines have the political will to push for the highest standards of sustainability? Another thing we instinctively ask at Rappler whenever something goes this viral is this: How much of the movement is organic? For months, some US Republican politicians have argued that growing opposition to AI data centers has been fueled by Chinese propaganda. But newer reporting suggests the issue deserves a closer look. Earlier this month, The New York Times reported on efforts by China, Russia, and Iran to amplify existing debates over AI data centers in the United States. The important distinction was that researchers weren’t saying these countries created Americans’ concerns about electricity use or environmental impact. Those concerns already existed. What they found was that foreign actors had tried to exploit those debates and push them further. As an author of one of the reports told The Times: “There is an organic opposition to data centers…. What we are calling for is simply transparency, though, because we’ve been able to document an inorganic element that runs parallel to this specific opposition movement.” I don’t have evidence that something similar is happening in the Philippines. But Pax Silica is unfolding in the middle of a technological rivalry between the United States and China, with both countries competing for influence. In an age where influence operations have become another geopolitical tool, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask whether conversations around strategically important technologies might also become targets. Both things can be true: The government’s explanations can be inadequate, and the online conversation can still be vulnerable to manipulation. That’s why, as a reporter, to make sense of things, you need to list down questions: How transparent is the Philippine government about Pax Silica’s costs and trade-offs? What are the environmental and social impacts on the communities that will host it? Is anyone trying to shape the conversation we’re seeing online? And if so, to what end? All of those questions, however, eventually lead back to one that matters most: What, exactly, is in it for Filipinos? – Rappler.com Inside the Newsroom is a newsletter delivered straight to your inbox every week. Visit rappler.com/newsletters to manage your newsletter subscriptions.