Manila Bulletin
Philippines
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Pax Silica could be 'Trojan horse' for dangerous small modular reactors, says Tinio
Philippines
National
Pax Silica could be 'Trojan horse' for dangerous small modular reactors, says Tinio
Pax Silica could be 'Trojan horse' for dangerous small modular reactors, says Tinio
Published Aug 3, 2026 12:03 pm
At A Glance
- ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio warns that the Pax Silica project could trigger an artificial energy crisis and justify importing small modular reactors (SMRs), which he describes as untested and dangerous.
- He argues SMRs remain unproven at commercial scale, posing risks of radioactive waste, accidents, security issues, and nuclear proliferation, while Pax Silica itself would divert five gigawatts from Filipinos and industries.
- Tinio calls the project a resource grab driven by U.S. corporate interests under the 123 Agreement, urging the public to oppose both Pax Silica and modular nuclear power as threats to national energy independence.
The Trojan horse (left), ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio (Unsplash, MANILA BULLETIN)
Is the Pax Silica project just a "Trojan horse" for something potentially dangerous to Filipinos?
ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio made this insinuation amid reports that the Marcos administration was considering the use of small modular reactors (SMR) to meet the staggering five-gigawatt power requirement of the planned Pax Silica Economic Security Zone in Clark.
The Makabayan solon and House deputy minority leader described the SMRs as "untested and dangerous".
Tinio is basing his assertion on the recent signing of the United States (US) and Philippines "123 Agreement" on civil nuclear cooperation. And it didn't take long for him come up with a possible doomsday scenario.
“We see a dangerous convergence here. First, the government commits to a US-led project that will consume a huge chunk of our national power supply for the benefit of foreign corporations. Then, it uses the resulting artificial energy crisis to justify importing risky, experimental nuclear technology from the same foreign power,” he said.
"[SMRs] remain largely unproven at commercial scale and could be far more expensive than promised. They still pose risks involving radioactive waste, accidents, security, and nuclear proliferation—while their smaller size does not eliminate these fundamental dangers," noted the militant lawmaker.
Tinio further says Pax Silica "is a problem of its own making" and an "unnecessary project that will hog electricity needed by our people and industries".
He added that it cannot now be used as "an excuse to bring in microreactors and other nuclear technologies that turn our communities into testing grounds and radioactive hazards".
The solon pointed out that the Philippines already suffers from the most expensive electricity in Southeast Asia due to the privatization and deregulation of the power sector under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) law.
Scrap Pax Silica
Diverting five gigawatts to Pax Silica will worsen shortages and spike prices for ordinary Filipinos, he claimed.
“The solution is not to compound one disastrous policy with another. The solution is to scrap Pax Silica, which is a brazen resource grab, and to prioritize genuine national development and energy security for the Filipino people,” Tinio stated.
He emphasized that the push for modular nuclear power, facilitated by the 123 Agreement, is driven by US corporate and strategic interests, not by the needs of the Philippines.
“The Marcos administration is creating a crisis through Pax Silica and then offering a US-made modular nuclear ‘solution’ that will make us permanently dependent on American technology, fuel, and capital. This is not energy independence; this is deepening neocolonial control over our energy sector,” Tinio argued.
He called on the public to vigorously oppose both the Pax Silica project and the introduction of modular nuclear power.