PH eyes Bulacan as global AI hardware gateway
GMA News
09 October 2026
The Philippines is eyeing Bulacan as a gateway for artificial intelligence (AI) compute hardware for Asia and the world, as part of a long-term industrial strategy that extends beyond the planned Pax Silica hub in New Clark City.
According to Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo, the proposed gateway would leverage the Bulacan Special Economic Zone and Freeport, overseen by the Bulacan Economic Zone Authority (BEZA), and its proximity to the New Manila International Airport (NMIA).
Under the vision, Bulacan would serve as a hub for consolidating components sourced from across the region, assembling them into AI compute hardware, including server racks, and shipping the finished products to global markets.
“Could an airport-centered economic zone eventually become a global technology, logistics, and distribution gateway? I believe it is worth imagining, but this is really a longer-term vision,” Rodolfo said during the 2026 FINEX Conference in Pasay City.
The DTI official said the concept would involve bringing in components from countries such as Singapore and Malaysia, assembling and integrating them locally, and testing and validating the finished products before exporting them.
“Halimbawa, meron kang mga ginagawang components, pero hindi naman natin lahat kayang gawin. May mga manggagaling sa Singapore, may manggagaling sa Malaysia. Ang importante, ma-aggregate mo, tapos ma-assemble mo, tapos malipad mo kaagad ‘yung racks papunta sa kung saan man,” he said in an interview.
(For example, you make components, but you cannot do it all. There will be those coming from Singapore, from Malaysia. What is important is you are able to aggregate and assemble, and ship the racks immediately to the markets.)
“Ayun ‘yung concept — components arrive, advanced manufacturing, integrated sa BEZA, complete manufacturing, tapos lipad kaagad. So parang ano ‘yan, connecting to the world na. Ganda niyan ‘pag natuloy,” he added.
(That’s the concept — components arrive, undergo advanced manufacturing, integrated at BEZA, go through complete manufacturing, and are then immediately shipped out by air. So it’s essentially about connecting to the world. It would be great if this pushes through.)
The proposed gateway would, however, depend in part on the development of NMIA,, the P740-billion aviation project in Bulakan, Bulacan, being built by San Miguel Aerocity Inc., targeted to cater to 100 million passengers yearly once complete. Operations are set to start in 2028.
“Kung meron ka nang airport, tapos meron ka pang ecozone na malaki, it raises the possibility that it can be your AI gateway. Kasi ang labanan dito sa AI, ‘yung pabilisan,” Rodolfo said.
(If you already have the airport and you have a large ecozone, it raises the possibility that it can be your AI gateway. Because in AI, the competition is all about speed.)
The proposed Bulacan gateway is eyed as the fifth node in the country’s industrial push. The first being advanced manufacturing in New Clark City, the second on integrated circuit design, the third on critical minerals and mineral processing, and the fourth on AI computing infrastructure including data centers.
“The fifth node is the AI Global Connectivity and Distribution node. What we design, what we build must reach the world. And this is where we see a long-term opportunity in Bulacan,” Rodolfo said. —AOL, GMA News