‘The duck wins’

How do you tell the difference between an idiot, a gambling addict and the Mafia inside the sabungan or cockpit?

First, look at the line of men going into the cockpit and if you spot someone bringing in a duck to fight, you know who the idiot is. When the match is made and the bets are being called by the “Kristos” or bet takers, the people betting on the duck are clearly the addicts.

But how do you know if the Mafia is in the cockpit? That’s easy – “The duck wins!” then you know the Mafia is in the house!

In the case of the now controversial Pax Silica or “Peace” through “Silicon,” the story of the duck bears remembering so we don’t end up carrying the duck, while government officials once again bet our natural resources and patrimony, all so the Mafia of nations can make a killing.

Let’s not forget all the many promises all the way back to the 1970’s on how “this Nation can be great again.” From second on top to second at the bottom in overall ranking in Southeast Asia.

How US military bases will provide security and opportunities for the communities around the bases. After countless controversies the US shuts down their military bases when Pinatubo erupted, leaving the clean up of potentially hazardous wastes and munitions to Filipinos.

How industrial export processing zones will make the Philippines an economic hub in the region, but several ended up becoming processing zones for large scale importations of kingpins and politicians in the past.

Last but not least, how sending Filipinos abroad will make them heroes. “Batang Saudi” is already a senior citizen but not rich, most likely poor. Ate Rose is now living in EU working as an all-around maid, babysitter and no longer wants to go home to nothing.

The saddest of them is “Beth,” the Japayuki who came home used and abused and with no respect.

The irony of it all is that most of our former and potential OFWs have found better outcomes by going into backyard farming, the very livelihood “modernists” told them to abandon!

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has different nations showing support for the Pax Silica idea, perhaps to avoid being labeled as unsupportive of the US in its economic contest with China.

So yes, different nations showed support for Pax Silica. But that is as far as it goes. It’s all talk and nothing more, just like every Philippine presidential trip that allegedly generated money or investments but nothing to show for them.

They agree on a wish list in response to counter China’s 90 percent control of rare earth minerals being transformed into computers chips, parts, etc. The first challenge is who’s going to do it, as in build the facility to meet the global expectation?

Assuming they put together an international consortium or team, how fast or how long would it take them to build, operate and scale the facilities to match the output and development speed China is capable of?

What are the chances that in let’s say the ten years that it takes Pax Silica to set up and get running, it is possible that China would already be into the next new thing or technology while the Pax Silica chips end up being obsolete.

Officials in Malacañang and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority are so sure their duck will win that they are willing to carry Clark City and the surrounding provinces into potentially the greatest environmental risk in Philippine history.

Could they be so inept or ignorant or is it possible that, given there are no official agreements and commitments within Pax Silica, that the Marcos administration is using it for window dressing purposes momentarily?

The silver lining in all this so far is that the internet and social media have reacted with the speed of light, calling the Pax Silica proposal as a political over-promise with too many bad possibilities.

While online commentaries on Pax Silica try to be balanced and informative, we cannot expect the same from our own government or the BCDA because they are the appointed vendors of Philippine land and natural resources regarding Pax Silica.

That being the case, here is my simple man’s opinion of the Pax Silica plan for Clark City:

The plan is not a row of modern call centers but massive AI processing centers. Certainly not the traditional definition or concept of an export processing zone.

The “mega facility” is envisioned as an AI computing infrastructure, processing center for rare earths, conversion into chips and related parts for sophisticated AI machineries or tools and semiconductor packaging.

If so, they have to mine the earth for rare earth minerals inside Philippine territory. For the AI infrastructure, operators will consume millions of gallons of water and convert the same into “used” or compromised liquids or polluted water while consuming electricity enough to power a small city.

In my view, the idea is simply the modern version of what colonists did best in their colonies – they operated mines for mineral extraction, collected raw materials and natural resources while leaving the natives no better, if not worse off.

Pax Silica is just the Latin title for a Multi-National Boys Club that will be operating a modern version of a global mining corporation.

*      *      *

E-mail: [email protected]