THIS IS OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE THOMASIAN COMMUNITY AND ALUMNI.

Pax Silica seeks to strengthen cooperation in strategic technology supply chains, including critical minerals, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing. Its proposed implementation in the Philippines includes an industrial hub covering approximately 4,000 acres in New Clark City, Tarlac. The project has prompted public discussion concerning national sovereignty, environmental sustainability, the use of land and natural resources, and the rights and welfare of potentially affected communities.

A particular concern is the prospect of relocation for residents within the proposed development area. According to a September report quoting the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), an estimated 200 residents in approximately 40 households could be relocated, with the agency stating that this would remain within the same barangay. About 15,000-20-000 Aeta residents have nevertheless expressed fears about losing their homes, ancestral connections, and livelihoods. These concerns underscore the need for transparency, meaningful consultation, and safeguards that address both material needs and the communities’ relationship with their land.

The SOCC’s opposition to Pax Silica is grounded in its conviction that development must uphold human dignity, protect our common home, and safeguard the rights and livelihoods of the Filipino people, particularly Indigenous Peoples, farmers, and other vulnerable communities. Through this campaign, SOCC seeks to articulate that position responsibly, substantiate its concerns through credible information, and call for accountability in decisions that may shape the country’s future.

Anchored in the Thomasian ideal of Veritas in Caritate—Truth in Charity—and the University’s core values of competence, commitment, and compassion, the SOCC puts forward its call: 

NO PEACE WITHOUT TRUTH. NO TRUTH WITHOUT CHARITY. PROTECT THE FILIPINO. REJECT PAX SILICA.

Through this statement, we affirm that peace requires transparency and accountability, and that the pursuit of truth must be guided by love of neighbor and concern for those most vulnerable. Competence calls us to examine the initiative through credible information and critical inquiry; commitment moves us to uphold the common good; and compassion urges us to stand with communities whose rights, livelihoods, and environment may be placed at risk. These principles ground the SOCC’s opposition and its invitation to the Thomasian community to participate in informed, peaceful, and responsible advocacy.

This signature campaign seeks to gather 4,000 signatures from members of the Thomasian community. This target symbolically represents the approximately 4,000 acres proposed for the Philippine Pax Silica industrial hub, with each signature expressing solidarity with potentially affected communities and support for the SOCC’s call to protect the people. 

To sign, we encourage the use of your UST Google Workspace e-Mail.  All for the FIlipino.