Pax Silica framework signing remains targeted for end-2026
Philippine officials say the bilateral initiative should have a separate signing occasion rather than compete with ASEAN’s regional agenda.
A legal agreement underpinning Pax Silica remains on course for signing by the Philippines and the United States before 2026 ends, Philippine trade official Ceferino Rodolfo said on November 10. A specific signing date has yet to be fixed.
Speaking in Makati City during the ASEAN Investment Summit, Rodolfo said a year-end signing would keep the initiative’s two-year development period, including master planning, on schedule. He serves as Department of Trade and Industry undersecretary and Board of Investments managing head.
His comments followed US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton’s statement that the forthcoming ASEAN Summit in Manila had no scheduled Pax Silica announcement. Rodolfo said the Philippines, ASEAN’s chair in 2026, wanted to avoid diverting attention from regional initiatives and preferred a separate occasion for the signing.
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority had initially targeted November but said no firm date had been agreed. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in October that the authority had sent the framework to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Philippine officials are expected to seek wording that explicitly protects sovereignty over Pax Silica projects in New Clark City and denies diplomatic immunity to expatriates working there.
Unveiled in April, the US-led initiative aims to connect allied supply chains serving critical technologies and minerals. The Philippines will host it in New Clark City, Tarlac. Officials say its focus is processing Philippine minerals and manufacturing advanced components for AI and semiconductors, with no data centres included.
