THE proposed Pax Silica hub in New Clark City will test whether the government can speed up investment processing without weakening legal, environmental and social safeguards, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said.
ARTA said streamlining government procedures should focus on reducing processing times, compliance costs and inter-agency bottlenecks, but should not mean bypassing statutory requirements or limiting public participation.
‘ARTA is actively collaborating with regulatory agencies across the semiconductor ecosystem to systematically optimize processing times, compliance costs, and inter-agency procedures,’ the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
‘The Pax Silica initiative provides a key platform to advance this agenda through coordinated and predictable governance,’ it added.
The statement comes as the proposed development faces scrutiny over its potential impact on water resources, communities and the country’s exposure to foreign interests.
Malacañang said earlier the project would remain subject to existing laws and environmental requirements, including measures to prevent the displacement of communities without appropriate safeguards.
Pax Silica covers about 1,600 hectares in New Clark City and is envisioned as an advanced manufacturing complex for semiconductor production, including wafer fabrication, chip design and critical minerals processing.
The project is intended to focus on higher-value semiconductor manufacturing and related activities that require significant capital investment.
It has been projected to attract between $40 billion and $70 billion in domestic and foreign investments and create jobs for engineers, researchers, computer science professionals and skilled technical workers, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said.
Further, under the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 (Republic Act 11032), Arta is tasked with helping improve government service delivery and reduce regulatory burdens.
The pace of approvals, however, remains separate from the actual development timeline.
BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Joshua Bingcang earlier said site development could begin in three to five years, initially covering about 500 hectares of the proposed 1,620-hectare site. Full development is expected to take place over about 30 years.
Arta said it would continue working with regulators, local governments and private-sector stakeholders to streamline procedures for the project while keeping regulatory requirements in place.