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The Philippines and Israel are exploring expanded trade and technology cooperation under the Pax Silica Initiative, with discussions centered on critical minerals, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and innovation-driven industries
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Trade undersecretary and Board of Investments managing head Ceferino Rodolfo met with Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Industry Foreign Trade Administration in Israel to advance bilateral cooperation under the initiative
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Rodolfo pitched the 4,000-acre AI-native Industrial Acceleration Hub in New Clark City along the Luzon Economic Corridor as an investment and technology-sharing opportunity for Israeli tech firms
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The 15-member Pax Silica Initiative is a US-led multilateral framework on AI and supply chain security
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The Luzon Economic Corridor, a Philippines-US-Japan trilateral, will hold its inaugural LEC Investors Forum in the second half of 2026
The Philippines and Israel are exploring expanded trade and technology cooperation under the Pax Silica Initiative, with discussions centered on critical minerals, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and innovation-driven industries.
The discussions took place during a meeting in Israel between Philippine Trade undersecretary and Board of Investments (BOI) managing head Ceferino Rodolfo and a delegation from the Israel Ministry of Economy and Industry (MEI) Foreign Trade Administration led by Oded Forer, head of the export and investment promotion division, and Yifat Alon Perel, senior director for the trade policy and agreements division.
Rodolfo pointed out the 4,000-acre Industrial Acceleration Hub in New Clark City, which is part of the Pax Silica initiative and is considered the first AI-native industrial zone, according to a press release from the BOI.
He described it as a clear opportunity for Israeli tech companies to invest and exchange expertise along the Luzon Economic Corridor.
The Philippine delegattion’s visit to Israel was aimed at gaining direct insight into how the country is operationalizing its Pax Silica commitments, particularly its partnership with the United States on microchip production, advanced computing, and AI development.
Beyond the MEI meeting, Rodolfo held separate engagements with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Israel National AI Directorate, the Israel Innovation Authority, and leading players in Israel’s trade and high-tech sectors.
The Pax Silica initiative is a US-led multilateral framework on AI and supply chain security. It currently has 15 members, including the Philippines as the 13th signatory and Taiwan as a non-signatory participant.
READ: US, PH to develop industrial hub within Luzon Economic Corridor
On the infrastructure side, the Luzon Economic Corridor’s (LEC) anchor project, the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas Railway, has secured a technical assistance grant of approximately P215.3 million from the US Trade and Development Agency. The freight rail project is also backed by the Asian Development Bank and Sweden’s development finance institution Swedfund.
READ: 15 more projects for Luzon Economic Corridor proposed
The LEC’s momentum is building toward two key milestones: the 4th Steering Committee Meeting scheduled for May 2026 in Manila, which will bring together senior delegations from the Philippines, the United States, and Japan alongside site inspections of priority project areas in infrastructure, energy, and logistics; and the inaugural LEC Investors Forum, set for the second half of the year, designed to attract global capital into the corridor’s pipeline of bankable projects.
READ: Luzon Economic Corridor investor forum planned to draw global capital
