Team DailyPedia
Former Philippine National Railways (PNR) chairman Michael Ted Macapagal has welcomed the formalization of the Luzon Economic Corridor and the establishment of a new artificial intelligence (AI) industrial hub in New Clark City, describing the initiative as a major step toward positioning the Philippines higher in the global technology value chain.
The large-scale development, which operates under the United States-led Pax Silica Declaration, designates New Clark City in Tarlac as the world’s first “Golden Node”—an AI-focused ecosystem intended to attract technology investments, process critical minerals, and support next-generation advanced manufacturing.
According to Macapagal, the project could help transform the Philippines’ role in the global technology industry.
“For decades, the Philippines has occupied lower-value, marginal roles in the global technology supply chain, primarily confined to basic back-end electronics assembly. Through the Luzon Economic Corridor and this massive AI hub, the administration is aggressively pushing the country into high-value upstream mineral processing and downstream, AI-driven advanced manufacturing,” he said.
The AI hub has already attracted attention from international investors and business leaders.
Macapagal noted that U.S. Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg recently led a trade delegation composed of more than 20 multinational corporations from the United States and the Middle East to inspect the proposed site in New Clark City.
The project aims to create an integrated economic and technological ecosystem capable of supporting AI-related industries, advanced manufacturing facilities, and critical mineral processing operations.
Despite the involvement of foreign investors and international partners, Macapagal emphasized that the economic security zone will remain subject to Philippine laws and regulations.
According to him, the development will operate under existing legal frameworks, including the Investors’ Lease Act and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) Law, or Republic Act No. 7227.
“It will operate as a clean, transparent, and mutually beneficial commercial development contract with our closest allies—with absolutely zero special carve-outs or exemptions that compromise our statutory integrity,” Macapagal said.
The New Clark City AI hub forms part of the broader Luzon Economic Corridor, a strategic development initiative designed to improve connectivity among key economic centers in Luzon.
The corridor will connect Subic, Clark, Manila, and Batangas, with the goal of enhancing logistics, freight movement, shipping operations, and digital infrastructure.
Supporters of the project believe the corridor could strengthen the country’s competitiveness by integrating transportation networks with emerging technology industries and industrial zones.
Physical groundbreaking for the development’s initial phases is currently targeted before the end of 2028, with planners envisioning an eco-friendly, technology-driven metropolis that could serve as a regional hub for artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing in the years ahead.
