As President Donald Trump’s visit for the 49th ASEAN Summit and his bilateral talks with President Bongbong Marcos approaches, youth group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) staged a Halloween-themed protest at SM Megamall Saturday, condemning the proposed Pax Silica agreement between the Philippines, the United States and its allies.
Explaining their protest, the youth group stated, “The Filipino people will turn into mindless zombies under the US initiated, private sector funded Pax Silica initiative. The Marcos Jr. administration is diving head first to the destructive path being carved out by his imperialist master based in Washington DC. The Pax Silica agreement is its embodiment—it will extract our country’s labor, natural resources, and wealth for the benefit of multinational companies and banks.”
SPARK challenged the Marcos administration’s claims that Pax Silica would bring economic prosperity. “We need to begin asking ourselves: whose is this development for?” they asked. “The supposed economic development brought by Pax Silica is actually a maldevelopment of the local economy and a mockery of our national sovereignty”.
They further cautioned that Pax Silica will only reinforce the country’s dependence on foreign capital instead of developing domestic industries capable of competing internationally. “Pax Silica will create seasonal and contractual employment, not high-value technological production,” the group argued. “Major economic decisions will still be made by multinational corporations. Our land, forests, and communities will be sacrificed at the altar of corporate profits”.
SPARK also warned that deeper military and strategic cooperation with the United States could expose Philippine infrastructure to greater security risks amid escalating regional tensions, particularly those involving China. The group stressed that ordinary Filipinos would bear the consequences of any military confrontation between competing global powers.
The group called on Filipino youth to join broader movements opposing Pax Silica, asserting that the country’s resources and technological development must serve the interests of its people rather than foreign corporate profits.
