By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
Innovation, development, jobs for Filipinos, these are the terms used to paint this Pax Silica hub into something that it’s not. They continue to parade the industrial hub with flowery words and persist in its alleged benefits. They want us all to believe that this is the future. The golden ticket.
The effects of this industrial hub, however, is too severe to ignore. The amount of water it would take away from communities. The massive need for energy, enough to cause brownouts for a communities already plagued by brownouts.
Reject this hub for it brings nothing to the common people of the Philippines but caters more towards the conglomerates and foreign investors’ interests. Water taken from farmers is not beneficial. More brownouts occurring does not help anyone.
Joining this U.S. led coalition is not a ticket towards autonomy but only replacing our reliance on China, a foreign nation for other foreign nations. It would just be equivalent to us changing master and remain as a personal subject to foreigners.
Right now, what the common Filipino needs is not some technological hub but basic necessities. Food on the table. To send their children to school. And basic governance. With a broken leadership and a divided society, they expect us to just accept this project and trust the government to implement expensive and complex safety measures.
This is not some advanced development all benefits project for the Filipino people but a sellout of land and resources to foreigners. Monetary benefits go to foreigners. And all the consequences are given to the local communities for them to shoulder alone.
The future is not in minimal development in exchange for land degradation. It is not in over reliance towards the U.S.
We are currently playing the role of a pawn in this game between China and the U.S. without even giving our consent. Our natural resources, meant to benefit the Filipinos is now being put up for sale. Reject Pax Silica hub and all its strings attached.
Philippine land is for the Filipinos, not some playground for foreigners to play around in.
Before they get to building technological hubs, this nation should first try helping every Filipino to be able to eat everyday. Build schools for each child to learn without 50 others clumped together. Not putting their own citizens under the bus and bending over for the white man.
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