DOT: Nickelodeon’s theme park in Coron could still push through
Nickelodeon’s resort developer is still looking forward to building a theme park in Coron, Palawan according to the Department of Tourism (DOT), and they want to do it this year.
NATURAL BEAUTY. Will Coron’s natural beauty be preserved if Nickelodeon decides to push through with their theme park?/PRIMER FILE PHOTO
In a TV interview, DOT Secretary Wanda Teo said that Coral World Park (CWP) Undersea Resorts is still going to pursue their plan to build a theme park in Coron. “They told us, ‘We are not going to destroy the corals. The restaurant will be floating, and you will be able to see [the corals]… Of course we know that we will preserve the place,'” she said during the interview.
CWP’s project in Coron was first reported in January. It was met with a lot of backlash from environmentalists and citizens, who expressed fears about its potentially destructive effect to Coron’s coral fields.
Related post: American TV network Nickelodeon to put up ‘world’s first undersea attraction’ in Palawan
CWP has since clarified the details of the project, saying it would not be an underwater theme park but a “resort and attraction… which we are designing as an undersea attraction with an ocean conservation.”
Teo has also gone out to public and said that while they are excited about the idea, the approval will not be up to them.
DOT Statement on Coral World Park in Coron, Palawan #DOT #Coron #Palawan #PhilippineTourism pic.twitter.com/mWWXJmYbHm
— Visit Philippines (@TourismPHL) June 2, 2017
Coron’s local government, however, has yet to receive any form of formal communication since their initial meeting, according to Coron Counselor and Tourism Committee Chairman Michael Sadhwani.
He also said they’re neither for nor against the idea as they have not received any documentation. “Obviously if they pass the process, walang problema yun [that’s no problem]… you have a right to have a business. (If not), obviously, hindi ka makakabukas ng resort [you can’t open a resort].” Part of that process would be going through the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.
Source: CNN Philippines, Rappler, Philippine Daily Inquirer, GMA News, Asian Journal, Manila Bulletin
