Clark industrial hub to ensure local processing of minerals —BOI

The new industrial hub in Clark, planned with the United States, will allow the Philippines to refine its mineral resources such as nickel and copper, keeping the production process more in the country, according to the Board of Investments (BOI).

The 4,000-acre industrial hub will be under the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC), which the BOI said will ensure that local minerals will be processed within the country, which holds significant reserves of nickel, copper, chromite, and cobalt.

“The Philippines is ensuring that our mineral resources and strategic location are not simply supporting global industries from the margins but are actively harnessed to build the industries of the future,” Finance Secretary Frederick Go said in a BOI media release.

The partnership is under the Pax Silicia initiative, a US-led effort to build a network of allied supply chains for critical technologies and minerals, which was announced by US Under Secretary of State Jacob Helberg in April.

“The AI-native industrial acceleration hub reinforces our semiconductor and electronics industry roadmap by linking our critical minerals advantage with our established strengths and by opening pathways toward higher value and advanced manufacturing,” Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said.

“The Philippines is already a vital player in the global electronics and semiconductor value chain. The initiative will significantly expand the Philippines exports, not just in volume, but in sophistication, value, and strategic relevance,” she added.

This comes as the Philippines accounted for 25.41% of global nickel exports in 2024. Its mineral exports stood at $7.62 billion in 2025, up from $6.20 billion the previous year.

Located in Clark, the industrial hub is set to be the first Zone in a broader industrial network, which seeks to surge production for inputs vital to US supply chains.

“The 4,000-acre AI-native industrial acceleration hub in the Luzon Economic Corridor is a statement of where this nation is headed: toward AI, toward advanced manufacturing, toward genuine economic sovereignty,” BCDA president and chief executive officer Joshua Bingcang said in the same statement.

“And at the heart of all of this are Filipino workers, engineers, and families whose lives will be transformed by the opportunities this zone will create. BCDA is proud to be the platform on which that future is being built,” he added.

The LEC is part of a partnership among the Philippines, the United States, and Japan, announced during a trilateral summit in Washington, D.C. in April 2024 involving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., then US President Joe Biden, and then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The Department of Finance (DOF) earlier this month said seven more countries have joined the LEC, providing over $8 billion in support — Australia, Denmark, France, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. —AOL, GMA News