An activist group denounced the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government for its “total sell out” of Philippine territory to the United States under the latter’s Pax Silica initiative.
Reacting to a claim made by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg that the Marcos government gave a “very unique gift” of 4,000 acres of land to the US, the Philippine chapter of the International League of Peoples’ Struggles (ILPS) said the move constitutes an “unprecedented and dangerous affront to Philippine sovereignty.”
“[It] is a brazen expansion of US control over Philippine territory under the guise of economic cooperation and industrial development,” ILPS said.
In a May 14 interview video, Helberg said the property will be taken into the “custody” of the US and will be treated similar to diplomatic premises.
Helberg’s speech, publicized on the State Department’s website on Monday said, Pax Silica is a strategic priority of President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy to secure US’ supply chains.
“We are committed to pursuing this objective in our own distinctly American way, which will be sharply different than China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” Helberg said.
ILPS said the development raises serious constitutional concerns as the Philippine charter imposes restrictions on foreign ownership and control over land and strategic sectors.
The Marcos government’s Economic Security Zone effectively grants extraordinary and extraterritorial foreign jurisdiction, operational control, and long-term legal privileges over a vast area of Philippine territory, ILPS said.
What the agreement envisions
According to Helberg’s interview, the Economic Security Zone project envisions a two-phase arrangement.
Phase 1 involves placing the land under temporary diplomatic status and US custody.
Meanwhile, phase 2 would involve a two-year negotiation process with the Philippine government to establish long-term investor protections, tax rules, and legal safeguards for what he described as a multi-decade industrial build-out.
The proposed zone is intended to serve as a “private-sector-led industrial base” for manufacturing, robotics, mineral processing, and other artificial intelligence supply-chain industries linked to the US-led Pax Silica initiative.
The Pax Silica initiative is a US-led strategic coalition launched in December 2025 to build secure, resilient global supply chains for advanced technologies. It focuses on critical minerals, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing to reduce reliance on rival nations such as China.
ILPS, however, said the Filipino people have every reason to be alarmed if the Marcos Jr. regime indeed agreed to put 1,600 hectares of Philippine territory under US custodial or diplomatic control.
“Diplomatic compounds enjoy special protections and immunities under international law. They significantly limit the host country’s authority over the premises,” ILPS-Philippines spokesperson Arnold Padilla said.
“Diplomatic custody effectively transfers sovereign control over the property to the foreign power. It warrants limitations on Philippine jurisdiction, law-enforcement access, taxation powers, labor inspection, environmental regulation, customs control, or judicial authority within the zone,” Padilla explained.
The Economic Security Zone project is intended to protect US strategic and corporate interests from future political or regulatory changes in the Philippines. Historically, investor protections have often taken the form of mechanisms that weaken national regulatory powers, undermine labor and environmental protections, and insulate foreign corporations from accountability,” he added.
ILPS challenged Malacañang to immediately publicly disclose all the details concerning the deal and the Philippine Congress to investigate the agreement. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
