DENR to conduct inquiry into Nickelodeon theme park
June 8, 2017 | 7:34am
DENR attached agencies Biodiversity Management Bureau, Environmental Management Bureau and the DENR-Mimaropa were ordered to undertake an inquiry into the proposed plan in Coron. File
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources vowed to conduct its own thorough inquiry on the planned underwater Nickelodeon theme park in Palawan after reports surfaced that the project will push through.
DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu said he has instructed attached agencies Biodiversity Management Bureau, Environmental Management Bureau and the DENR-Mimaropa to undertake an inquiry into the proposed plan in Coron.
"We shall conduct a thorough inquiry regarding the proposed project to ensure that ecological, social, economic and human interests are factored in into the project’s evaluation once received," Cimatu said.
"And so that at the outset we can ensure that we continue to conserve and protect this bastion of coastal biodiversity in Palawan," he added.
Cimatu iterated that the DENR, at all levels, has not received any formal communication from any project proponent about the proposed building of a theme park in Coron.
The DENR is also in close coordination with the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, the Department of Tourism and the local government unit for the possible developments of the said project.
"We are trying to find out the specifics of this supposed project even as we await the formal receipt of the said proposal," Cimatu said.
Coron, which forms part of the Calamianes Group of Islands, is a key marine biodiversity area of the country.
It has a high rate of flora and fauna endemism that supports the life of the communities in the area and is an ancestral domain of the indigenous people of the Tagbanua tribe.
Palawan is home to more than 300 coral species or about half of all coral species in the world as well as the breeding ground of more than 1,500 fish species in the country.
It was in January when reports surfaced that developer Coral World Park Undersea Resorts Inc. is planning to build "a resort and attraction, designed as an undersea attraction with an ocean conservation focus."
The announcement was met by several online petitions against the plan launched by various environmental groups.
The company then clarified that the "undersea themed" park is land-based but is designed to meet the international standards required as a global destination especially environment-related standards advocating conservation tourism, renewable energy and category five proof architecture.
Former DENR chief Gina Lopez vehemently opposed the construction of the theme park.
The Coral World Park emphasized that the masterplanned development will not only help create jobs for local communities but will help provide the necessary funding to ensure ongoing protection of the area.
The Coral World Park is funded by the Monaco-based Dr. AB Moñozca Foundation and its CWP Trust, which advocates ocean protection.
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