Filipino women marched toward the U.S. Embassy in Manila on Nov. 9 to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s expected visit, warning that the proposed U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative could threaten Indigenous ancestral lands, displace communities and undermine women’s livelihoods.
The militant women’s alliance GABRIELA led the all-women protest ahead of Trump’s expected arrival for the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, according to the group.
GABRIELA opposed the proposed initiative, which it said would give Washington control over semiconductor, artificial intelligence and other critical technology supply chains at the expense of Philippine land, energy resources and mineral wealth.
“We reject Trump’s visit, we reject Pax Silica, and we reject the conversion of our country into a launching pad for U.S. wars,” said GABRIELA Secretary-General Clarice Palce.
The group warned that mining, energy and industrial development associated with Pax Silica could displace farming and Indigenous communities while exposing women workers to greater economic insecurity.
“The mining, energy, and industrial corridors to be carved out under Pax Silica will uproot farming and indigenous communities, poison our rivers and rice fields, and push women out of whatever secure work remains into the most precarious and least protected labor,” Palce warned.
GABRIELA raised concerns over ancestral lands and natural resources, including areas in New Clark City, which the group identified as potentially affected by the initiative.
The alliance accused the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of allowing Philippine territory and resources to serve U.S. economic and military interests.
“Hindi bisita ang paparating sa Pilipinas — isang macho-pasista, mandarambong at instigador ng gera ang papapasukin ng rehimeng Marcos Jr. sa ating bansa,” said Palce.
GABRIELA also linked its opposition to Trump’s visit to the rising cost of living, blaming U.S. military actions abroad for worsening economic pressures on Filipino households.
The group cited U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and the conflict in Palestine, arguing that their consequences, including rising oil prices, have increased the cost of food and other basic necessities.
It said women bear much of the burden as they struggle to meet household expenses, including food, medicine and school supplies, while facing threats to their livelihoods.
GABRIELA called on Filipino women to join further protests against Trump’s expected visit, the proposed Pax Silica initiative and what it described as expanding U.S. economic and military influence in the Philippines.
“The Philippines belongs to the Filipino people. The motherland will not be violated, and Filipino women will not be sacrificed to fill the coffers of empire. Kick Trump out of the Philippines!”
All photos by Jire Carreon
