Lea Salonga backs resistance against Pax Silica ahead of Trump’s Manila visit

Broadway icon Lea Salonga is sounding the alarm over the environmental toll of the Pax Silica initiative, throwing her support behind local resistance just days before US President Donald Trump arrives in Manila.

Trump is confirmed to attend the 49th ASEAN Summit starting November 16, with anticipation mounting that the controversial US-led supply chain agreement could see further action.

Taking to her Instagram Story, the Tony-winning star shared a striking video highlighting the landscapes and community life of Capas, Tarlac. The province is currently in the crosshairs of the agreement, with 1,620 hectares in New Clark City slated to become a massive US-backed critical minerals and artificial intelligence processing hub.

The original video, posted by progressive cultural organization Panday Sining – Rektikano, did not mince words about the upcoming presidential visit.

“Donald Trump will arrive in the Philippines this November 16 to sign the Pax Silica initiative into effect,” the group wrote, adding a stark warning about the hub’s potential impact.

“These are the lands, homes, and lives that will be destroyed because of it,” the group declared.

Pax Silica is being promoted as a flagship effort to secure critical minerals for advanced manufacturing and AI ecosystems. The Philippines is positioning itself as a major implementation site following negotiations involving the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and the Marcos Jr. administration.

Artists join resistance

Salonga’s move adds to a growing wave of opposition from the local arts sector. Cultural workers’ collective Tambisan sa Sining recently issued a strongly worded statement challenging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s earlier claims that the proposed AI hub would leave Indigenous Ayta heritage and the local environment unharmed.

“As artists and cultural workers, we cannot separate our practice from the realities of exploitation and oppression surrounding us. Art and culture must not remain indifferent to the struggles of the people,” the collective stated.

“We urge fellow artists, independent collectives, cultural workers, and workers across all sectors to raise their voices, organize, and stand in solidarity against imperialism and neoliberal policies. Our creative labor, natural resources, and collective future must serve our people, not foreign interests and corporate profit.”

Salonga’s latest move comes as no surprise to fans familiar with her longstanding opposition to Trump and his administration’s politics. Following the 2020 US election, she openly discussed the anxiety of living as an Asian-American woman of color under a Trump presidency, pointing out how racism had become increasingly brazen.

From protest to theater

At the time, the theater actress admitted that she felt compelled to constantly look over her shoulder. She also recalled having to reassure her son Nic that they would not be targeted while she performed during her North American tours.

Meanwhile, Salonga is preparing to return to the local stage in a production that explores themes of tyranny and repression. She is set to play the formidable matriarch in the highly anticipated Filipino adaptation of “Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba,” which opens for a limited run in Manila in February 2027.