The Philippines just made two of its biggest AI moves yet in the same month — a 4,000-acre AI industrial hub in the works with the US, and new government rules on using AI ethically. Here’s what’s actually happening.

The Weekly Headline: Philippines Bets Big on AI — A New Hub and New Rules, in the Same Month

A 4,000-acre bet on AI manufacturing

In July, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority confirmed it is eyeing a 4,000-acre site in New Clark City, Tarlac, to host the coordination office for “Pax Silica” — a US-led initiative to build an AI-native industrial hub in the Philippines. The site has been designated a “Golden Node” in a broader push to link the Philippines into a network of trusted nations for AI and semiconductor manufacturing. Negotiations on the long-term framework are expected to wrap up within two to three months, with a signing possibly timed to the ASEAN Summit in Manila this November. The US Development Finance Corporation has already approved funding for a feasibility study on the power infrastructure the hub would need, including a proposed LNG terminal.

Government AI use just got its first rulebook

Days before that news broke, the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Civil Service Commission issued Joint Memorandum Circular No. 003, Series of 2026 — the country’s first principles-based framework for how government agencies may ethically develop, deploy, and use AI. It covers governance, accountability, data protection, and human rights safeguards, and it extends indirectly to private vendors who supply AI systems to government agencies. Implementing guidelines are due within 90 days.

Infrastructure and guardrails, arriving together

What’s notable is the sequencing: the country isn’t just chasing AI investment, it’s trying to write the rules for using it responsibly at roughly the same time. That pairing is exactly the space where Doc Ligot has spent years working. As Founding Director for AI Ethics & Data Governance at the Philippine AI Business Association and a member of the UK’s Expert Advisory Panel on Advanced AI Safety, he’s been one of the loudest voices arguing that the Philippines needs both the infrastructure and the guardrails — not one without the other. Doc is the featured speaker at AI Talks @ Younifest, with upcoming webinars digging into exactly these questions of AI ethics, governance, and readiness in the Philippine context. Details and schedules are at https://aitalks.younifest.com.

AI isn’t coming. It’s here.

A hub still being negotiated and a circular still being implemented aren’t finished products — but together they mark a shift from talking about AI policy to actually building it. Whether that Golden Node lives up to its name will depend on how well those two tracks, investment and ethics, stay connected.

Further Reading

• BCDA: New Clark City to serve as AI hub under US-led Pax Silica Initiative
• Philstar: Philippines, US may ink Pax Silica AI hub framework by November
• Baker McKenzie: Philippines Launches Responsible AI Governance Framework

About Doc Ligot:

Dominic “Doc” Ligot is one of the leading voices in AI in the Philippines. Doc has been extensively cited in local and global media outlets including The Economist, South China Morning Post, Washington Post, and Agence France Presse. His award-winning work has been recognized and published by prestigious organizations such as NASA, Data.org, Digital Public Goods Alliance, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF.

If you need guidance or training in maximizing AI for your career or business, reach out to Doc via https://docligot.com.

Follow Doc Ligot on Facebook: https://facebook.com/docligotAI