By CBCP News

The country’s largest network of Catholic schools said public concerns over the proposed Pax Silica Project deserve careful attention, urging government leaders to build trust through transparency, environmental responsibility and meaningful community participation.

The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines said public skepticism about the project reflects lessons from past extractive industries that promised economic progress but often left communities with environmental damage, weak oversight and few lasting benefits.

“These concerns should not be dismissed as opposition to development but recognized as important questions about intergenerational equity, environmental sustainability, and national economic strategy,” CEAP said in a statement.

The association said many Filipinos have seen extractive projects promise prosperity but leave behind environmental degradation, weak regulatory enforcement, limited community benefits and little local industrial development, making public skepticism “both understandable and legitimate.”

CEAP also called for stronger transparency, meaningful public participation, independent environmental monitoring, fair benefit-sharing, and “clear commitments to local processing and value-added industries” before the project advances.

The proposed Pax Silica Project aims to position the Philippines as a supplier of high-purity silica, a critical mineral used in semiconductor wafers, fiber-optic cables, photovoltaic cells and other technologies supporting artificial intelligence, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.

Government estimates project the venture could attract $40 billion to $70 billion in investments while creating more than 130,000 high-quality jobs for engineers, scientists, technicians, researchers and other skilled workers.

Drawing from international experience, CEAP said countries realize the greatest long-term benefits from strategic minerals when they invest beyond extraction in manufacturing, research, innovation, skilled workers and strong public institutions.

“The long-term success of high-purity silica development depends less on the resource itself than on the strength of governance, regulatory institutions, environmental stewardship, and industrial policy,” CEAP said.