Progressive groups in Manila marched toward the US embassy in the pouring rain on Thursday to send a message to Washington, rejecting its economic influence and military presence in the Philippines. The US is facing mounting opposition to its Pax Silica global tech agreement, which would build supply chains for AI and semiconductor technologies to counter China. As part of the agreement, the US and the Philippines plan to establish a 4,000-acre industrial hub in the Luzon Economic Corridor. Filipino activists argue the initiative hands the country’s land and resources to foreign capitalists. Protestors also slammed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a 2014 defense pact which grants the US access access to designated Philippine military bases, warning that Washington is turning the country into a battleground for its war on China.

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