Activists question Luzon chip corridor

Patricia Kullberg spoke with two local activists about the Luzon Economic Corridor on the November 9 edition of her program, Old Mole Variety Hour. The corridor is one element of Pax Silica, a US-led multinational effort to keep global semiconductor and technology supply chains under the control of trusted partners. The initiative seeks to reduce reliance on raw materials and energy flowing from Russia, Iran, or China.

Bria Penk, a labor and human rights activist, joined the discussion. She currently serves as the Regional Coordinator for the Oregon chapter of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines. Penk is also a member of Kapit Bisig, a group of workers and union organizers supporting the labor movement in the Philippines. She outlined the specific risks the project poses to everyday people and identified local connections to the broader initiative.

Ennie Pio, a member of the Bayan Regional Council, also participated in the interview. Pio is part of the Bayan New Patriotic Alliance, an international organization comprising women, workers, artists, and youth. The group works to protect the sovereignty of the Philippines. Together, the two advocates detailed what the project entails and how it fits into the larger public and private partnership known as Pax Silica.

Listeners interested in supporting the resistance to Pax Silica can visit the URL tiny.cc/shutdownpaxsilica. The segment forms the first part of the November 9 broadcast, which also includes a review of a new film and an excerpt from a recent talk on hip-hop and food justice.

The second segment, Movie Mole, covered Magellan, a feature film by Filipino director Lav Diaz. In the movie, Gael García Bernal portrays the 16th-century Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The film is described as Slow Cinema, a style that rejects mainstream commercial conventions. It offers a critical view of European imperialism. The film is available for rental via streaming and as a DVD through the Multnomah County Library. A fuller review by Frann Michel is available at Against the Current.

The final segment featured excerpts from a March 2026 talk by Talilo Marfil, a Portland-based West Bisayana Filipino-American hip-hop artist. Marfil is a creative producer and youth advocate whose music blends traditional hip-hop with Filipino cultural influences. Speaking at WSU Vancouver's DocArts Series, he discussed how hip-hop helped him move past homelessness and incarceration. He also talked about urban farming as a path to collective liberation.

Marfil produced the song and video Roots in collaboration with the Municipal Eco-Resiliency Project, Toni Hill, Mic Crenshaw, and Wassla. He has shared stages with artists including Tech N9ne, Ruby Ibarra, Baby Bash, and Apo Whang-od. Marfil founded Talilo Music LLC and co-founded youth-focused initiatives that use arts, mentorship, and peer support to expand access to creative opportunities.