The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said it is identifying individuals allegedly encouraging farmers to oppose the proposed Pax Silica Initiative, a 1,619-hectare technology hub planned inside New Clark City (NCC) in Capas, Tarlac.

BCDA president and chief executive officer Joshua Bingcang said the agency has received reports that certain groups have been influencing residents to resist the project.

“We have heard and received reports about that. In the coming days or weeks, we will identify them,” Bingcang said during a briefing Thursday.

He also claimed that some of those interviewed by the media and opposing the project are not longtime residents of Tarlac or Pampanga.

“We know the residents here. When I headed BCDA operations in 2014, we conducted a census and met with the farmers living in the area. These are not professional squatters who suddenly appeared. They were allowed to stay there, and when the land was returned to the government, we were instructed to ensure they would not be neglected,” he said.

Bingcang said BCDA has extended financial assistance to affected residents and has spent hundreds of millions of pesos to support their welfare and protect their rights.

IPs aided

He stressed that while New Clark City covers about 9,000 hectares, the government has allocated a total of 15,000 hectares to Aeta communities and other Indigenous Peoples.

According to Bingcang, Indigenous communities were initially granted 10,000 hectares of ancestral land, with another 5,000 hectares added two years ago.

“The problem is that some Aeta members sold their rights to other individuals. They received 10,000 hectares, which is even larger than New Clark City, and they were later given another 5,000 hectares,” he said.

Bingcang added that some of the lands have since been acquired by large private developers.

“I even know the big developers who bought those properties. The government has been fair and balanced in protecting ancestral domains while also setting aside land for development,” he said.

On Thursday, Aeta chieftain Petroniza Capriz-Muñoz of Sitio Sapang Kawayan, together with farmers from nearby communities in Capas, held a press conference to oppose the proposed Pax Silica project and reaffirm their claim over their ancestral domain.

To address concerns surrounding the project, Bingcang said Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda will convene a stakeholders’ meeting next week with governors, mayors and local officials from neighboring provinces and municipalities in Central Luzon to discuss the Pax Silica Initiative and its implications.