Posadists Today publish this document from the North American organization World Beyond War to express solidarity with its campaign to close U.S. military bases in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, and around the world.

World Beyond War regularly participates in British anti-war campaigns, particularly those led by the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign (MHAC). The document we are presenting, entitled « Down with Pax Silica! » – sometimes called Silicana – is part of these international campaigns, which involve the national CND, Bradford CND, the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign (MHAC), StopTheWar and others. Numerous British and international feminist movements also take part, as does the British social justice union ACORN.  Since local trade union branches across the country support anti-war initiatives all the year-round, major trade unions such as UNITE, ASLEF, CWU and TSSA are indirectly present in all the major national actions organized with MHAC’s collaboration —even though MHAC is a North American organization.

Menwith Hill is a British base in Yorkshire. However, it serves NASA exclusively, which has established there its world’s largest electronic espionage and surveillance center outside the United States. Protesters, who often gather in large numbers outside this base, denounce the violation of national sovereignty that it represents, and its complete lack of accountability to its host country.

Indeed, this base on British soil operates without any British legislative or judicial oversight. The base commander is an unnamed North American civilian who answers to no British authorities—whether parliamentary or local. Protesters and their organizations condemn the deadly role played by this base in deadly « Anglo-American » proxy wars—involving killer drones and remote operations—a role that is never questioned in public or in the British press. When protesting at Menwith Hill, demonstrators reject the base’s function as the global « Five Eyes » hub for monitoring, intercepting, and weaponizing the information flowing through telephones, satellites, and international communication networks. Capitalism knows that it can no longer meet human need, and has lost the support of society. It can no longer manage production without assaulting life itself and the planet. It senses that it has lost control over the world’s future. Its terrifying weapons and its genocidal wars demonstrate that violence is the only means it has left to try and keep its regime afloat. Faced with the new world war of capitalism against all countries and populations that defy its savagery, humanity moves towards solidarity and unity. This is how the North American MHAC and British anti-war organizations periodically gather at Menwith Hill.

Under imperialist pressure from the Trump administration, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines signed an agreement allowing the US to establish massive economic zones in the country (many of these Freeports). These zones are intended for manufacturing the semiconductors that the US no longer wishes to purchase from China, as part of its war strategy to ostracize and attack China. On September 1 of this year in Manila, over 50 civic, environmental, scientific, and indigenous organizations formed a coalition against « Pax Silica » (sometimes referred to as « Pax Silicana »). For their Filipino leader, Teddy Casino, Pax Silica is not merely an investment program; it represents « a takeover of the country’s resources, technology, and infrastructure ». Significant—and heavily suppressed—protests have recently taken place in Bonifacio Global City, Quezon City, Angeles City, Pampanga, and elsewhere, as well as at the US Embassy in Manila, under the slogan « Shut down the Pax! ».  Just one of the new facilities in New Clark City is set to span 16 square kilometers and displace thousands of people from the indigenous Aeta community. US officials acknowledge that artificial intelligence (AI) will play a role in the semiconductor production operations. For them, this US-initiated project in the Philippines takes no account of the vast amounts of water and electricity it will require. According to the Manila Times, the Marcos Jr. government’s insistence on the project, coupled with growing public opposition, is turning parts of the country into « a battleground in the ‘tech war’ between the US and China ».[1] 21.9.26 – Posadiststoday.org

REJECT PAX SILICANA!

From WORLDBEYONDWAR.ORG
Jhay de Jesus, August 10, 2026

Pax Silica will not only exploit the Philippines’ natural resources and workforce, but it will also drag the country further into a role that serves ongoing U.S. military aggression and war. By Jhay de Jesus, World BEYOND War Asia Organizer.

https://worldbeyondwar.org/pax-silica-the-philippines-role-in-propping-up-u-s-militarism-and-war/

Resist! Fight! Pax Non-Bellum!

Pax Silica will not only exploit the Philippines’ natural resources and workforce, but it will also drag the country further into a role that serves ongoing U.S. military aggression and war. The Filipino people must reject Pax Silica and call on the Philippine government to end all agreements between the U.S. and the Philippines.

Pax Silica is a U.S.-led coalition launched in December 2025 as the U.S. Department of State’s flagship effort on artificial intelligence (AI) and supply chain security. This economic partnershipbetween the U.S. and its allies will facilitate supply chains for mineral mining, semiconductor manufacturing, the creation of energy-intensive AI data centers, and surveillance technology infrastructure[2].

Currently, there are 24 member states to Pax Silica. Israel is among the founding members alongside the U.S., Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Taiwan is a non-signatory but has endorsed the declaration’s principles via the Joint Statement on the Pax Silica Declaration and U.S.-Taiwan Economic Security Cooperation.

The Philippines entered the coalition in April 2026. As part of its entry into the coalition, the Philippine government is leasing around 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) of land in New Clark City, Tarlac, Central Luzon. As part of the broader Luzon Economic Corridor, this lease is intended to last up to 99 years. This Economic Security Zone will serve as a site for high-tech industries and supporting businesses, functioning as a supply chain hub for artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

The formal binding agreement is set to be signed in November 2026.

Various sectors are raising critical concerns about this project. One major issue is the strain on electricity and water supplies. Because data centers run 24/7, they require vast amounts of power and water. An estimated 3,000 megawatts are needed to power the facilities, along with 60 to 130 million liters of water daily for their cooling systems—all while the country continues to face ongoing electricity and water crises.

Additionally, concerns regarding ancestral domains and agricultural land have surfaced. Local farmers are already experiencing problems of land grabbing and conversion from agricultural to commercial use. They also receive little to no support from the government. Indigenous communities in particular face land-grabbing of their ancestral domains by government and corporations. And now, these land categories are the site for Pax Silica infrastructure. Evictions of settlers already started as some families of farmers are offered small amounts to sell their lands to the government for this project.

Sovereignty also remains a central concern for the public. Historically, agreements between the Philippine and U.S. governments have been unequal. Starting with the Mutual Defence Treaty, these pacts have spawned further military cooperation, such as the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). These agreements opened more locations for permanent U.S. military presence in the country, which has been a source of human rights violations such as gender-based violence, further militarization of communities, and evictions.

While the Philippine government promises that Pax Silica will bring more jobs and economic growth, no consultations were conducted with affected communities and sectors. Furthermore, the government has provided no assurance that the formal binding agreement will be fair or capable of delivering on these promises.

Pax Silica will serve U.S. military interests by hosting infrastructure used to develop surveillance systems, military technology, and the global arms industry.

Amid ongoing conflicts involving the U.S. and Israel in regions like Palestine and Iran, infrastructure under Pax Silica will support the U.S. and Israel’s objective of maintaining constant surveillance on designated rival nations and enhancing their military advantage. These facilities also leave local communities vulnerable to attacks if rival countries launch a counter-offensive. Furthermore, the coalition serves the U.S. objective of isolating China as a source of critical minerals for semiconductors while securing the loyalty of allied nations.

Additionally, companies that have expressed interest in investing are known supporters of the U.S.-Israeli military actions in West Asia. Under Project Nimbus, for example, Google and Amazon provide cloud computing, AI, and infrastructure services to the Israeli government. These two giant corporations are said to have expressed their interest or the Philippine government is actively courting them as key locators.

Before Pax Silica, the Philippines also entered another U.S.-led military manufacturing partnership to explore building ammunition production in the country.

Under the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience (PIPIR), the Philippines together with other countries like Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand agreed to explore building new ammunition production lines. It also includes military drones standardization and regional maintenance hubs.

Our Calls

Pax Silica, like other agreements between the U.S. and the Philippines, is unequal and primarily serves U.S. hegemony and war efforts. The Philippine government continues to surrender our land, natural and human resources, and sovereignty to U.S. interests. Pax Silica is a clear response to the ongoing U.S. rivalry with China, as echoed by Philippine Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro’s statement that sourcing from trusted suppliers and like-minded partners outside of China reduces the risk of compromised products, data breaches, and vulnerable supply chains.

We must learn from the experiences of communities hosting existing data centers and from our own history of “partnership” with the U.S.

We call on the Filipino people and the international community to reject Pax Silica. We urge the Philippine government to stop selling out our resources and sovereignty to the U.S. war machine.

We also call on the government to terminate all existing military agreements with the U.S.

Junk the Mutual Defence Treaty, Abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement, and Scrap the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement! The Philippine government must adopt a position of neutrality in the region.

Stop Selling Out Philippine Resources, Defend Our Sovereignty!

REJECT PAX SILICA! Pax Non-Bellum!

[1]  YouTube·The Manila Times
https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/philippine-tribe-in-limbo-over-us-led-tech-hub-1058677278

[2] Pax Silica has not been established solely in the Philippines. It is currently being set up in seven Asian countries plus Kazakhstan, and in nine European countries plus the European Union. It is already underway in Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama. In the United Kingdom (a founding nation), Pax Silica is preparing to install production lines within the 12 Freeports, which already boast sophisticated infrastructure originally funded by the British State. According to the publication *Decode 39*, these Freeports represent a « major asset » for global investors, enabling them to securely establish manufacturing and energy production chains while remaining exempt from both tariffs and export taxes. In the UK, the designated Freeports include Teesside and Solent. For US Senator Marco Rubio, Pax Silica represents « the growing consortium of all allied nations. » https://decode39.com/15107/why-europe-is-joining-pax-silica/ – PosadistsToday.org