CAPAS, TARLAC | September 5, 2026

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority, in coordination with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, is updating the census of families and residents in Sitio Sapang Kawayan, Capas, Tarlac, as preparations move forward for the proposed Clark Advanced Manufacturing Park or CAMP in New Clark City.

According to BCDA, the activity is intended to validate the socioeconomic profile of communities located within and around the proposed development area.

The agency said the updated information will provide government planners with a clearer picture of the actual conditions, needs and concerns of residents before further development plans proceed.

Census to Guide Assistance and Safeguards

BCDA said the updated census is expected to establish a validated community baseline that may be used in determining appropriate assistance, safeguards and other measures for families who could potentially be affected by future development.

The census is being undertaken together with the NCIP, particularly because Indigenous Peoples communities are among those living within or near portions of the proposed development area.

Final figures from the census have not yet been publicly released as authorities continue consolidating and validating the information.

Important Clarification on Pax Silica

While several reports have connected the census to the controversial Pax Silica initiative, BCDA clarified that the census activity is specifically part of preparations for the proposed Clark Advanced Manufacturing Park and is not specifically a Pax Silica activity.

CAMP is envisioned as an advanced manufacturing ecosystem that could accommodate technology-related and high-value manufacturing investments in New Clark City.

Pax Silica, meanwhile, is a broader United States-led international initiative involving cooperation on supply chains related to semiconductors, critical minerals, artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.

The proposed New Clark City development has frequently been discussed in connection with the Philippines' participation in the Pax Silica framework.

Community Concerns Remain

The proposed large-scale technology and manufacturing development in Capas has drawn attention from farmers, Indigenous communities and local residents who have raised concerns about possible displacement, livelihoods, ancestral lands, agriculture, water resources and environmental impacts.

Aeta community representatives from Capas have previously appealed to authorities to protect their homes and ancestral domain, while the NCIP has held dialogues with Indigenous communities regarding their concerns.

Capas Mayor Roseller Rodriguez also told a Senate hearing in August that the municipal government had not initially been properly consulted regarding the Pax Silica proposal.

Government agencies, meanwhile, have maintained that consultations, environmental reviews, planning and other regulatory processes must still be undertaken as the proposed development progresses.

Project Still in Preparatory Stage

The proposed development should not be interpreted as a completed or fully implemented project.

BCDA previously said the first phase of development associated with the planned advanced technology hub could begin within approximately three to five years.

Government agencies are still conducting studies, consultations and regulatory processes surrounding the project.

Everything Tarlac will continue monitoring developments involving the census, consultations with affected communities and government decisions regarding the proposed Clark Advanced Manufacturing Park and projects associated with the Pax Silica initiative.