The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) today slammed the Marcos Jr. administration for advancing a 4,000-acres “economic security” industrial hub under the Luzon Economic Corridor tied to United States supply chains for critical minerals and advanced electronics, calling it a “massive sell-out” that will worsen land and resources grabbing, extraction, and militarization in the countryside. The so-called Luzon Economic Corridor, launched in 2024, was designed to enable the expansion of U.S. military facilities and the storage of US weapons on the country’s largest island.

The PH government’s participation in the 13-country Pax Silica initiative follows the February 4, 2026 critical minerals MOU and effectively locks the Philippines into a US-led pipeline from mining and processing of “strategic” minerals to semiconductor and electronics output primarily serving foreign corporate and military interests.

“Sa totoo lang, ito ay war production na tinatabingan ng “kunwaring pag-unlad.” KMP said. “Ibinubukas ng gobyerno ang ating mga kabundukan at ancestral lands para sa mas mapaminsalang pagmimina at industriyang para sa dayuhan at hindi sa mamamayang Pilipino.”

The proposed hub spans roughly 4,000 acres (over 1,600 hectares) and is designed to “shore up supply chains” for critical minerals and electronics. KMP warned that such enclaves serve as export-oriented zones where land, water, energy, and fiscal incentives are prioritized for foreign firms, while local communities shoulder the heavy environmental and social costs.

“Tayo ang gagawing tagasuplay ng murang hilaw na materyales at low-value processing tulad ng assembly, testing, at packaging, habang sa kanila ang teknolohiya, kontrol, at tubo,” KMP said.

KMP stressed that the planned hub will intensify mining expansion, land grabbing, and ecological damage. Pax Silica will demand for nickel and other “critical” minerals, accelerating large-scale mining in provinces such as Zambales, Palawan, and Nueva Vizcaya – areas that are already damaged by decades of deforestation, silted rivers, and polluted watersheds.

“Malinaw na ang karanasan natin sa malakihang pagmimina: mga kalbong bundok, nilason na mga ilog at komunidad na pinagtapunan ng mine tailings,” KMP said. This complex will concentrate heavy industry and logistics, generating even more toxic waste and emissions that will be dumped on nearby communities.”

The group added that many of these areas in Luzon are prime agricultural lands and biodiversity zones that sustain rice, coconut, and food production. Converting them into industrial and mining corridors will further undermine food security.

KMP also pointed to the legacy of former US bases in Clark and Subic in Zambales, where communities reported soil and groundwater contamination from fuel, solvents, and heavy metals, and long-term health impacts.

The announcement comes alongside expanded US military access and ongoing Balikatan exercises involving tens of thousands of troops. KMP warned that clustering industrial facilities with military logistics increases the risk that surrounding communities become targets in geopolitical conflict.

KMP stressed that semiconductors and advanced electronics produced in such hubs are dual-use, feeding not only consumer markets but also missiles, drones, surveillance systems, and communications infrastructure.

“Walang duda na para talaga sa gera ng US itong Pax Silica. Itinatayo ang pundasyon sa critical minerals, saka itinutulak ang produksiyon para sa pangangailangan ng US sa panggegera nito,” the group added.

The group encouraged farmers and affected communities to oppose this latest plunder and landgrabbing. ###