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Construction of Philippines P1.2-billion Oceanarium Park to startManila, Philippines - Sept. 14 2005 The construction of the The Oceanarium Park, the Philippines' first ever world-class oceanarium, will begin next month, according to Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) General Manager and chief executive officer Robert Dean Barbers. The Oceanarium will be located at the back of the Quirino Grandstand at the Luneta Park.
The project will be done in three phases. The main project is the transformation of the platform into an Oceanarium with a complementary Bay Pavilion. The Oceanarium Park is a 1.2 million gallon aquarium that will showcase various marine life like sharks, stingrays and tropical fishes. It will have an acrylic walkthrough tunnel where people can have the experience of walking underwater with fishes swimming all around them. The Bay Pavilion, a multi-level complex will house retail stores that complement the Oceanarium as well as restaurants to showcase the best of Philippine cuisine, and a plaza for special events and arts and crafts. Phase II is the creation of a sandy beach along the existing breakwater in the Landside facing the Platform and the transformation of the water sea between the Platform and the breakwater into a self-contained swimming pool area for the public. Phase III is the transformation of the current park on the Landslide into an Ocean Discovery Center. It will have various pool ponds that will have stingrays and star fish which the public can touch. The Philippine Tourism Authority is one of the first government agencies to bag such profitable deal with a foreign investor. "Our efforts to convince foreign business to invest in the country’s growing tourism industry have finally reaped its rewards," Barbers said. "The infusion of foreign investment into the country speaks more forcefully of the domestic economic environment than any other medium. This is one such investment," he added. The government is set to earn P 927 million worth of investments with a rental rate of R16.5 million with upward adjustments every five years. The Oceanarium park project also envisions to educate environmental awareness of the country's marine life, research and conservation. The construction of the Oceanarium Park will begin as soon as the project receives the clearance from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the building permit from the City of Manila. Construction period for the entire project is one-and-a-half years. (PTA)
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