Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian is backing the Philippines’ bid to secure the proposed Pax Silica high-technology manufacturing hub, calling the project a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to draw foreign direct investments, create jobs, and build the country’s next major growth engine after business process outsourcing.
Speaking before the Management Association of the Philippines, Gatchalian said the Senate had held an initial hearing on the proposal as the Philippines faces competition from other potential locations in the region, including Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us,” Gatchalian said, acknowledging that a project of such scale carries risks but stressing these could be mitigated and addressed.
Beyond the immediate investment and employment gains, Gatchalian said winning the project could signal confidence from global companies with experience developing large-scale technology and manufacturing facilities.
“This will be our next big industry shift after the BPO,” he said.
The proposed Pax Silica hub comes as the Philippines seeks to capture a larger share of investments in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and other technology-intensive industries.
The project could also test whether the country can move beyond its traditional strengths in services and build a deeper industrial base, particularly in sectors requiring highly skilled workers, reliable infrastructure, and sustained investment.
At the same time, Gatchalian said the country must prepare for AI-driven disruption, particularly in the BPO sector, which employs millions of Filipinos and remains a major source of export revenues.
He called for closer government-private sector cooperation to identify jobs vulnerable to automation and determine how AI can be integrated into industries while creating higher-value employment.
The push for Pax Silica, he said, should therefore be viewed not only as an investment race, but also as part of a broader effort to reshape the Philippine economy for the next wave of technology-driven growth.
