Amusement parks

With the yuletide season upon us, there was dismay over the destruction of Star City, Metro Manila’s popular amusement park, in a fire last Wednesday.

Journalists are also commiserating with colleagues in dzRH whose radio station was also damaged in the fire, suspected to be a case of arson.

And in our newsroom, there was disappointment that the fire shut down one of the few outlets of Tropical Hut. I didn’t realize how many of my colleagues also like one of my favorite local fast-food chains, which I have patronized since my youth.

Tropical Hut has added terrific dinuguan and daing na bangus to my all-time favorites in the chain, burger and Pinoy spaghetti. I’m so glad it hasn’t gone the way of my favorite local pizza maker, 3-M, which I can no longer find.

But now the Tropical Hut branch closest to our office is shuttered – temporarily, we hope. And people are looking for an alternative to Star City.

There’s Enchanted Kingdom in Laguna. But in Metro Manila, I can’t think of any alternative. There are pocket amusement areas in some shopping complexes, but none with the scale of the attractions in Star City.

The merry-go-rounds in several shopping malls are lovely, but adults hesitate to ride even for an Instagram opportunity. The giant Ferris wheels and other thrill rides, on the other hand, can be enjoyed by adults – if they have the money. At an average of P200 per ride, those rides are not for the underprivileged. 

For a different type of theme park, there’s Splash Island also in Laguna. In all my visits there, the place has always been packed. But it’s no Star City.

The Star City amusement complex is a much-reduced version of the theme parks in other countries. Still, it’s far better than the perya – the Pinoy mini fairs where the masses can enjoy affordable entertainment.

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With the rainy season nearing its end, the open-air peryas are again sprouting all over. In my neck of the woods, the perya in a neighboring village is set to reopen in a few days, as usual featuring a Ferris wheel and a “caterpillar” ride plus a mesh-enclosed area featuring a playground slide where kids drop into a ground filled with balloons. The ground is unpaved and turns into a muddy mess during rains, which is why there is no perya during the monsoon season.

The most popular feature of the perya is not the Ferris wheel, which is just the ordinary size, unlike the giant one that was destroyed in Star City or the one at the Mall of Asia. People flock to the perya for the bingo game – not the government-run bingo, but a privately operated game where the minimum fee is P5 per card / game, and where the winnings can go as high as P150,000 during the “blackout” portion at past midnight.

From what I have seen in other parts of Metro Manila and even in the provinces, such bingo games are a common feature in the perya.

Around the perya are karaoke bars, which continue to operate even when the perya is closed for the rainy season.

But the rides and slide are popular among children. There are so few places where these are available even in Metro Manila, so Star City will be sorely missed this holiday season.

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Considering the popularity of amusement and theme parks, plus our close ties with the United States, I’m surprised that Disneyland bypassed the Philippines for other Asian countries in setting up its parks in this part of the world.

Amusement parks should be a thriving business in our country. We’re big on family bonding and having fun. I’m not one for amusement parks myself – the only thing I can remember about the Matterhorn ride in California’s Disneyland is my endless screaming with my eyes tightly shut. In amusement parks, I worry that those “needle”-type roller coaster drops will permanently scramble my brain.

But I can see the magic of such parks, and if we can’t develop our own, we should be able to invite established brands to set up shop here. Such parks are tourism draws, for both domestic and foreign travelers.

Pinoys who can afford it go to Tokyo Disneyland, or take the Lord of the Rings and Hobbiton tours in New Zealand. These are not budget destinations.

Even tiny Singapore has a sprawling themed property development on Sentosa Island, with a butterfly garden and insect kingdom, an underwater oceanarium and even a spot called “Palawan beach.” Sentosa is one of the top tourist draws of the city-state.

It would be great to have a Harry Potter theme park in the Philippines – even a smaller version of the fantastic original in the UK. Or a Lord of the Rings-Hobbit-themed park. Or Disneyland. 

But this is still in the realm of dreams. For at least a year while Star City is being rebuilt, we’ll have to settle for the pocket amusement areas in malls, plus the neighborhood perya.