The Philippines is moving to deepen cooperation with Israel on critical minerals processing and artificial intelligence (AI), aiming to climb higher in the global technology value chain.
Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo met with Eden Bar Tal, director general of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to explore collaboration aligned with the US-led Pax Silica and broader critical minerals frameworks.
The talks follow Manila’s entry into the Pax Silica alliance and its partnership with the United States to develop a 4,000-acre AI-native industrial acceleration hub in Luzon.
Rodolfo said the Philippines is seeking to move beyond exporting raw “green metals” such as nickel, copper, and cobalt by building domestic processing capacity and integrating these into higher-value technology manufacturing. These minerals are key inputs for batteries, energy storage, electric vehicles, and semiconductor components that underpin AI systems.
He added that access to advanced AI technologies—particularly in compute hardware manufacturing—could help the country transform its mineral resources into “tech-metals” industries.
Israel’s strengths in industrial water systems and AI hardware innovation were seen as complementary to the Philippines’ mineral base and skilled workforce. Bar Tal, who leads Israel’s national strategy on critical minerals, highlighted opportunities in refining, research, and development.
Both sides also discussed a potential bilateral agreement covering mineral processing and technology cooperation, including leveraging the Philippines’ semiconductor sector to support AI development.
