By GMA News Published May 19, 2026 10:20pm + Add GMA on Google Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google. US Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg led a site inspection and unveiling of the marker for the Philippines' new Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub on Tuesday.The AI hub is set to be located in New Clark City, Tarlac, covering more than 1,600 hectares, and is expected to attract billions of pesos in investment.In exchange for this project, the US requested diplomatic immunity for the Americans inside the hub. If granted, they will not be held accountable under Philippine laws, even if they have committed crimes, which the Philippines does not agree to.“That's their request, but we did not agree to that… It will be treated as a regular business development contract. No special arrangement to be accorded to the US,” Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President Joshua Bingcang said in the report of Dano Tingcungco on "24 Oras."However, the US did not delve into discussing the issue.“I’m not gonna get ahead of those conversations. We just got there, and we just did our first visit at the site. We're gonna do a survey, technical visits, we're gonna have more technical way to have investor protections for the long term while ensuring our approach makes sense for the Philippines,” US USec. of State for Economic Affairs Helberg said.BCDA said there is the Investor’s Lease Act and BCDA Law that will ensure the protection of the Philippines’ interest on the matter. Aside from the AI hub, the US also plans to build facilities for the processing of critical minerals, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing. These pertain to chips for computers, cellphones, and other gadgets that the AI hub also needs.“Ili-link mo critical minerals tapos yung supply mo rare earth towards your AI ecosystem… ‘Yung mga investors din… isipin niyo na lang dito sa Subic meron diyang industrial estate, yung Taiwan electric company…industrial estate diyan na specifically for Taiwanese investors, sa mga Koreans ganun din meron sila, Japanese,” DTI Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said.The Philippines has yet to finalize with the US the setup for the project, whether it would be a lease, a joint venture, or a concession.The technical assessment of the hub is expected to take place in June, and its groundbreaking before 2028 ends.—Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/LDF, GMA News