American children’s television network Nickelodeon has announced that it will push through with its plans to build a theme park in Coron, Palawan.
In addition to the children’s attraction, there will also be a hotel, a resort, and a condominium.
“They’re going to pursue that. The owner went to us… this year,” Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo told CNN Philippines Thursday.
Read: Nickelodeon to build a theme park in Palawan, environmentalists express alarm
Earlier this year, the controversial project drew flak from environmentalists who opposed the idea of building the the theme park that could destroy the pristine beaches in the area.
Nickelodeon and the developer Coral World Park Undersea Resorts (CWP) responded by saying that the project is a “resort and attraction with an ocean conservation focus.”
“We take the petitions seriously but sad to say, information has been misunderstood. We hope these points clarify all matters concerning this development,”CWP said.
Read: Nickelodeon clarifies: We won’t build anything underwater
According to Teo, the group said that they are “not going to destroy the corals” and “will preserve the place.”
The developers are still in the “planning stages.”
Save Philippine Seas has created an online petition calling on the Local government of Palawan and Nickelodeon to junk their plans. The campaign has nearly 250,000 signatures.
Meanwhile, Coron Counselor and Tourism Committee Chairman Michael Sadhwani said that the local government unit of Coron has not yet received a formal letter of intent from the developer.
“As of today, we can’t say if we’re pro or against it because we haven’t received any documentation,” said Sadhwani.
