By Darryl John Esguerra
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the police to exercise maximum tolerance in handling protesters opposing the proposed Pax Silica initiative, Malacañang said Saturday, amid reports of alleged harassment and excessive force against student demonstrators.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President’s directive has been in place from the beginning, even as authorities dealt with incidents during demonstrations on the sidelines of the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and Related Meetings.
United States President Donald Trump is arriving on Tuesday.
Three University of Makati students were reportedly arrested during a protest in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, with reports alleging that police officers punched a student and placed another demonstrator in a headlock.
“Simula’t mula pa lang, alam na natin kung paano dapat itrato ang mga nagpuprotesta, iyan ay sa utos ng Pangulo — (From the very beginning, we have known how protesters should be treated, and that is under the President’s order) maximum tolerance,” Castro said during a press briefing.
She urged the public and the media to establish the circumstances surrounding reported incidents before concluding that police had committed harassment or abuse of authority.
“Ang hindi kasi mato-tolerate ng ating pamahalaan ay pinagbibigyan ang bawat mga kababayan natin ng kanilang karapatan — gamitin nila ang karapatan sa tama, pero kung ito naman ay sosobra at lalabag sa batas hindi naman puwedeng magtulug-tulugan ang ating mga kapulisan (Our government recognizes everyone’s right to exercise their rights properly, but if they go beyond that and violate the law, our police cannot simply turn a blind eye),” she said.
Castro said protesters were free to express their opposition but stressed that authorities also had a responsibility to enforce the law.
Students from various universities have staged protests, including walking out of classrooms against the proposed Pax Silica initiative, raising concerns over its implications in the Philippines.
Castro said the government preferred that protesters raise their concerns through dialogue and position papers so officials could examine and address them.
She said Marcos is aware of the demonstrations and that the administration was open to hearing specific concerns from student representatives.
Pax Silica is a US-led initiative that seeks to build a secure supply chain for artificial intelligence or AI and advanced technology, covering critical minerals, energy, semiconductor manufacturing, data centers, and logistics.
The project, to rise in Tarlac province, has been met with fierce criticisms, particularly over concerns that it could expose natural resources to more intensive mining, strain water and energy supplies, and threaten ancestral lands and cultural heritage. (PNA)
