A few days ago, news broke out that Nickelodeon was planning to build an underwater theme park in Coron, Palawan in the Philippines. To say that Filipinos were shocked is an understatement. Citizens immediately posted their thoughts and opinions on the matter via Facebook and Twitter; some have created petitions, which received nearly 100,000 signatures in less than 24 hours, for the project to be disapproved, but to no such luck as the company, Viacom International Media Networks, would still be pushing through with the theme park’s development.
The news was released by the press after a Viacom announced that it was planning to build a 400-hectare underwater resort and theme park in Coron, making it the announcement that launched numerous petitions.
However, a statement from Coral World Park Undersea Resorts was issued saying that their plan was “to build a resort attraction, of which we are designing as an undersea attraction with an ocean conservation.” The representative from Coral World Park Undersea Resorts would also go on to say that the media did not reflect the full details of the project.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines has already announced that they would not allow the theme park to be built.
So, why the Philippines? Why Palawan? “It is known to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world today,” the executive vice president of Viacom, Ron Johnson, would go on to say. Coral World Park would also point out that the creation of the resort would bring about jobs for the locals and once completed, will be the largest coral reef conservation program in Asia.
As mentioned above, the company would, unfortunately, still be pushing through with the development of the theme park and will be going through the necessary processes for approval because contrary to what the media has said, the theme park will not be built underwater, but simply have an underwater theme. The facility would be built on land and would be an advocate for conservation tourism and renewable energy.
If you still don’t understand why this is a bad idea, here are some more reasons:
- Palawan is also known as the “Last Frontier” in the Philippines because it is one of the very few places that has not been commercialized by the industry, unlike Boracay.
- On land or not, the construction would still be affecting the environmental conditions of Palawan.
- “By building artificial structures, you will undeniably damage and disrupt Palawan’s marine ecosystems.”, as one petition would point out.
- Palawan contains almost half of all coral species in the world with more than 300 species in the area. In addition, it is the breeding ground of 1,500 fish species and more in the Philippines.
The locals of Palawan and the Philippines are asking for help in this environmental issue. It doesn’t take much to be able to help out: just sign this petition to help Palawan always be a home for humans, as well as wildlife.
