The Philippines and Israel are deepening their collaboration on critical minerals processing and artificial intelligence following a high-level meeting in Manila.
Key Meeting Details
Ceferino Rodolfo, Department of Trade and Industry undersecretary and Board of Investments managing head, met with Eden Bar Tal, director general of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss joint efforts in critical minerals and the AI ecosystem. The meeting also included Aileen Mendiola, a Philippine official.
Strategic Alignment
The talks align with the Philippines’ participation in the US-led Pax Silica initiative and related critical minerals frameworks. This follows Manila’s recent accession to the alliance and its partnership with the US to develop a 4,000-acre AI-native industrial acceleration hub in Luzon.
Critical minerals are essential for the semiconductor supply chain, providing inputs for microchips, advanced processors, and hardware that power AI systems. Bar Tal chairs Israel’s interagency steering committee on national critical minerals strategy.
Technology and Investment
Both sides explored how Israeli capabilities in mining, water, and environmental technologies could strengthen the Philippines’ mineral processing and refining, particularly for nickel, copper, and cobalt. This would help the Philippines move up the value chain.
Officials also discussed a possible bilateral memorandum of understanding covering mineral processing, research and development, and closer links between the Philippines’ semiconductor sector and AI development. They cited strong complementarity between the Philippines’ mineral resources and workforce and Israel’s technology and innovation.
Upcoming Engagements
Rodolfo is in the region for an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development forum on critical minerals and meetings with Pax Silica partners. In Israel, he is set to meet officials from the trade ministry, the Israel National AI Directorate, the Israel Innovation Authority, and private-sector stakeholders.
