Anger over theme park plan

AMERICAN children’s television network Nickelodeon has announced it will build an underwater resort and theme park on an island known as the Philippines’ last ecological frontier, alarming environmentalists.

The firm behind SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer said the park on Palawan Island would be part of a 400ha undersea development showcasing the area’s marine life, which would give fans a chance to “interact with the brand and the iconic characters they love”.

Palawan was chosen for the development because it was known to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, senior executive Ron Johnson said yesterday. He is executive vice-president with Viacom International Media Networks, which owns Nickelodeon.

A Viacom statement said the resort would open in 2020 and feature restaurants and lounges 6m below sea level.

The development would advocate ocean protection and conserve coral reefs, the statement said.

But environmental group Greenpeace said it would destroy the area’s world-famous marine ecosystem.

“It’s sad and alarming because a theme park that big will not promote environmental protection by building those structures,” Greenpeace Southeast Asia official Vince Cinches said.

Conservation groups call Palawan “the last frontier” because of its pristine coastlines and forests, which are among the oldest and most diverse in Southeast Asia.

Palawan is home to two Unesco World Heritage-listed sites, a subterranean river and the Tubbataha coral reefs.

Palawan-based environmental activist Grizelda Mayo-Anda also expressed concern.

Viacom’s Philippine partner, Coral World Park, said the resort would not hurt the environment.

The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, a government body, said the project had yet to be approved.