By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
With digital technology sitting at the forefront of every advanced nation, the government wants to ensure that the Philippines is not left behind in the quest towards enhancing the country’s digital sector.
This, as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. positions New Clark City as the nation’s next major economic hub for advanced manufacturing, technology, and investments that would position the country among key players in the global industrial value chain.
Through various infrastructure initiatives, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) plans to develop the property through the construction of a planned 1,600-hectare advanced manufacturing hub under the Pax Silica initiative.
BCDA President and CEO Joshua Bingcang clarified that the development is not an artificial intelligence data center project but is envisioned to accommodate advanced industries supporting AI, including semiconductors, technology and medical-related industries.
Bingcang expounded in a media interview, “In the actual requirement of the project, this will be all advanced industries that will support AI industries in the field of semiconductors, in the field of technology, medical, and other aspects of development.”
He likewise explained that the agency continues to address other misconceptions and comply with various critical requirements such as reliable water and power supplies to make New Clark City lucrative to investors.
Meanwhile, the BCDA granted original proponent status for an unsolicited proposal by South Korea’s K-Water for an approximately P15-billion high-technology water supply and management system that will tap surface water instead of extracting groundwater.
On energy, Bingcang said an initial 500-megawatt supply has been awarded to a Saudi firm for solar power, while BCDA is also in talks for a reliable liquefied natural gas plant to help provide the energy ecosystem required by industries.
The BCDA chief also clarified that the land to be used for the Pax Silica initiative remains under Philippine jurisdiction and BCDA ownership, with the agency working with local government units and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to address concerns of indigenous people and other settlers who could be affected by the development.
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