US puts PH Pax Silica AI project atop economic priorities — Go

The United States has placed its Pax Silica initiative-related activities in the Philippines at the top of its economic priorities, Finance Secretary and investment czar Frederick Go said on Friday.

Pax Silica is the Department of State’s flagship effort on artificial intelligence and supply chain security, advancing a new economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners.

Citing his recent discussions with US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton, Go told reporters that the US side was “very keen to make things move fast” as far as the signing of a framework agreement for the Philippines’ participation in the US-led Pax Silica initiative is concerned.

“He expressed that on the economic side, the Pax Silica project is on top of the priority list of the American side," the Finance chief said.

The Philippines in April officially joined the Pax Silica initiative, cementing its place among 23 global signatories, including the European Union, Japan, India, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

Manila and Washington are establishing a massive 4,000-acre industrial hub that would serve as a new model for AI-native investment hubs under the Pax Silica initiative.

"If we’re going to do this, we should be able to do this as fast as possible so we can provide jobs and be a significant player in the technology of the future,” Go said.

The Finance chief added that both nations are eager to start this transformative partnership.

"I think both sides are excited to get things moving along because I really believe this could be a generational type of project," Go added.

"It would really change our outlook,” he said, noting that the initiative would generate "hundreds of thousands of jobs" for Filipinos.

Moreover, Go said that, “if we want to be a player in the AI industry in the future, we need to start somewhere.

"This is really a great start because once you have the ecosystem, one thing leads to another,” he said.

The Finance Department is currently working on the legal and operational groundwork for the Pax Silica initiative in the Philippines.

Go expressed optimism that Manila and Washington will officially sign a comprehensive framework agreement under the Pax Silica initiative before the end of the year. –NB, GMA News