Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Thursday, August 6 stressed the need to ensure that the welfare and sentiments of farmers and other affected communities will not be set aside in the proposed Pax Silica project.

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan (Facebook)

Pangilinan pointed this out in reacting to Jessica Soho’s feature on Pax Silica on Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho on GMA 7, featuring the concerns raised by farmers and the residents in the supposed project site in Capas, Tarlac.

“Tama si Tatang Kapitan ng Capas, Tarlac: Ang tao ang gobyerno. Hindi pwedeng isantabi ang kanilang kalagayan o saloobin. Hindi pwedeng iwagayway lamang ang titulo ng gobyerno (BCDA) sa pagpapaalis sa mga taong nakatira at nagsasaka sa pinaplanong tatayuan ng mga pasilidad ng Pax Silica (The Barangay Captain of Capas, Tarlac is right: the people are the government. Their situation and sentiments cannot be disregarded. One cannot simply brandish the title held by the government agency through the Bases Conversion and Development Authority to evict the people living and farming on the land where the Pax Silica facilities are planned to be built),” Pangilinan said in a statement.

Pangilinan, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, said there should be genuine public consultation with all stakeholders, particularly the farmers as they are “the people who feed the nation.”

“Hindi ganito ang trato sa mga nagpapakain sa bayan (This is not the way to treat people who feed the nation),” he said.

“Kailangan may tunay na public consultation. Kailangan kasama ang mga maaapektuhan sa pagpaplano. Kailangan pinalalakas sila, hindi pinahihina, ng proyekto (There should be real public consultation. Those who are bound to be affected should be part of the planning. They should be strengthened, not weakened, by the project). Empowered, not stripped of power,” he reiterated.

Pangilinan’s call comes amid growing concerns raised by lawmakers over the proposed United States-backed Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem hub, which experts say would require 39 billion liters of water annually and more than 20,000 hectares of land for solar farms and water reservoirs to keep all systems constantly running.

While the government has touted the Pax Silica Initiative’s potential to create greater job opportunities and benefit the Philippine economy, critics warn that the project could eventually displace agricultural communities and reduce farmland availability and strain local water supply.

Pangilinan said it is essential for the government to follow “free, prior and informed consent” or FPIC to guide locals, especially indigenous peoples, farmers and communities, on the state’s preparation for the project.

“Mahirap magtagumpay ang isang plano kung sa umpisa pa lang, ganito na’t may pagbabalewala o pagmamaliit sa mga apektado (It is difficult for a plan to succeed when, right from the start, there is already a disregard for or belittling of those affected),” Pangilinan said.

“Free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) ng komunidad ang kailangang pairalin sa mga preparasyon, lalo na at may mga taong apektado — katutubo, magsasaka, karaniwang taong gumagamit ng tubig. Free o malaya: walang pilitan, walang pwersahan, walang pananakot, walang pagbabanta, walang pambabraso. Prior o nauna: bago pa ang lahat. Informed o may pagbibigay-alam: malinaw, buo ang mga detalye, at naiintindihan ng buong pamayanan (The community's free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) must be upheld during preparations, especially given the presence of affected individuals—such as indigenous peoples, farmers, and ordinary water users. "Free" means there is no coercion, force, intimidation, threats, or strong-arming. "Prior" means it takes place before anything else. "Informed" means the information is clear and comprehensive, and is fully understood by the entire community),” the lawmaker stressed.

Pangilinan said he will thoroughly scrutinize the Pax Silica project once the Senate starts hearing the various resolutions that called for an investigation into the program.

“Tunay na (truly) ‘the devil is in the details.’ Sa detalye nagkakatalo. Kaya bubusisiin natin ang detalye ng Pax Silica sa isang pandinig sa Senado. Ang interes ng karaniwang Pilipino ang lenteng gagamitin natin sa pagbubusisi. Sisiguraduhin nating panalo ang tao at panalo ang Pilipinas sa usaping ito (The devil is in the details. That is why we will scrutinize the specifics of Pax Silica during a Senate hearing. We will examine the matter through the lens of the ordinary Filipino's interests, ensuring a win for the people and for the Philippines),” he said.