By Margaux Ortiz
Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines--Imagine going to Manila Bay and coming face-to-face with a shark or even a school of fierce barracudas.
Come December, this awesome scene would be experienced by Filipinos -- adults and children alike -- with the completion of the Manila Ocean Park just behind the Quirino Grandstand at the Rizal Park.
The ocean park, a P1-billion project of Singaporean and Malaysian investors, is the first world-class marine park to adopt a “fusion concept,” according to Manila Ocean Park president Lim Chee Yong.
Lim said the concept entailed bringing together an oceanarium, a mall, a boutique hotel, a restaurant row and open marine habitats -- where marine enthusiasts could learn to swim and dive with the fishes.
“The park will house the first and largest aquarium facility in the Philippines,” Lim announced during a walking tour with the media Wednesday at the site.
He said that both the oceanarium and the open marine habitats would contain 12,000 cubic meters of seawater featuring 300 marine species indigenous to the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
Larger than Sentosa’s
Lim proudly said that the Manila Ocean Park would be among the most advanced ocean parks in Asia -- with an area larger than the famous Sentosa oceanarium in Singapore.
“Sentosa is 6,000 square meters while this one is 8,000 sqm,” Lim said. He also compared Manila’s upcoming marine park with Hong Kong’s Ocean Park, “which has lots of fun rides but showcases a smaller oceanarium.”
Species from Philippine waters
Robert Dean Barbers, Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) general manager, said that unlike other oceanariums in Asia, the Manila Ocean Park would be getting marine species from Philippine waters.
“All over the world, people have been saying that our country is the center of marine biodiversity,” Barbers said.
“This is the time to be proud and show the world what we have,” the PTA head said.
Lim said the project would be composed of three phases, with the oceanarium as the first phase. It would be completed and opened to the public this December.
“The second phase, which includes the marine-themed mall and the hotel, and the third phase, the open marine habitats, would be completed next year,” Lim said.
Entrance fee
He said the Manila Ocean Park would be affordable to all -- P250 for students, and P350 to P400 for regular patrons.
Aside from providing jobs to 2,000 Filipinos, the project would enable the government to earn P20 million annually in rental fees.
“After 5 years, there would be an incremental increase of 5 or 10 percent per year. We would also get a share from the income,” Barbers said.
During the walking tour conducted as a “sneak peek” for the media, officials and personnel of the Manila Ocean Park showed the different parts of the oceanarium, now 80 percent complete.
The “oceanarium journey” is divided into six sections, each one carrying a Filipino name to exhibit national pride, according to the park’s vice president Cristina Romualdez.
The first section, called Agos (Flow), features a rainforest-theme with eight tanks containing freshwater species.
“This part of the oceanarium -- the only open area in the facility -- shows the interconnectedness between the water and land,” Romualdez said. Agos would also feature an artificial waterfall and a touch pool, where children could interact with creatures such as starfish and shrimps.
The next section, called Bahura or the Reef, would exhibit artificial corals in 48 tanks, complete with their scientific and common names, and their roles in the ecosystem. Laot (Fishing Ground), on the other hand, would feature big fish and Eagle-spotted rays in a long tank.
Main attraction
The main attraction of the oceanarium is a 25-meter long walkway tunnel with 220-degree curved acrylic walls.
“Other oceanarium tunnels only have 180-degree curved walls. The Manila Ocean Park tunnel in effect, would give patrons a better viewing experience,” Romualdez said.
She said one wall of the tunnel would feature corals and small fishes, while the other wall would exhibit big fishes like sharks and rays.
A school of barracudas would be seen swimming in a large tank at the Kalaliman (The Deep) section of the oceanarium. There would also be a shark tank and an overhead aquarium featuring the breathtaking beauty of rays, Romualdez said.
Educational facility
“We are largely an educational facility. As much as possible, we want to promote the conservation and preservation of marine species,” Romualdez said, pointing out that the park has been working very closely with government agencies such as the Department of Education and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
She said the Manila Ocean Park would not include protected and endangered species such as whale sharks and other sea mammals.
A team of marine biologists and scientists has been working to ensure that the types of fish put together could live well with each other in the tanks, Romualdez said.
“We are very careful about the fish display. We are aware that we have a responsibility also -- both to the public and the environment,” she said.
Manila Ocean Park is owned by China Oceanis Philippines Inc., a subsidiary of China Oceanis Inc., a Singaporean-registered firm that has operated four oceanariums in China.
Finally, world-class marine park in Manila
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well, having a world class marine park that educates people in conservation is a good thing... this is a better idea than just having the boardwalk serve as a venue for restaurants, etc... i look forward to seeing the marine park open this december and to the entire project's completion by next year... and since it's a privately owned company, walang gastos ang gobyerno... very good!!! sa mga organizers po ng proyekto, mabuhay po kayo!
hi
heard about this a few months ago and on tv a last week. already posted almost the same info in my blog. i don't think i'll visit it in december, there might be too many people :(
Kudos, looking forward to see awareness to majestic marine life in the Philippine
I don't see any problem with regards to species to be included in the Oceanarium. In fact we have abundant supply either at the Senate, House or Malacang.
Very good!!!
Mabuhay ang mga Filipino!! It is good for our our childrens education, and it might boost our tourism program. Dapat ipromote yan sa mga international channel tulad ng BBC and CNN para lalong maging maganda ang exposure ng bansa natin. Napapansin ko kasi na puro India, Thailand, Malaysia at Soth Korea ang ang mga nagpapa-advertise sa CNN at BBC kaya tuloy yung mga big tourist spender na Europeans at Kano yun ang naalala. Let's start to promote our country in a much bigger scale.
I've been looking forward to the inauguration of the manila ocean park since i first heard about it last year. i have visited quite a number of "ocean parks", "ocean worlds", aquariums, etc. worldwide, and i'm excited to see for myself what sets our very own ocean park apart from the rest. congratulations in advance to the investors, sponsors and management of this project. i'm sure all our kababayan would be proud to display the richness of philippine ocean's fauna and flora through this enterprise. ;)
definitely, this one is a must see when the family takes a vacation in manila. just reading through it makes me wonder what to see...philippines, my philippines!
This sort of project is something that benefits both the locals and foreigners. It showcases the natural beauty of marine life in the Philippines and at the same time to educate the public. With foreign investors behind the project, I see this as something that can be maintained and sustained with the highest standards of similar facilities found elsewhere.
Fifteen years ago, I visited Hongkong and there I saw the beauty of the Ocean Park which captivated the desire of dreaming to have one in the Philipines. At last, we have one in Manila Bay that could be the PRIDE of all Filipinos especially the young generation. There´s no need for little and disabled ones to swim in our deep seas in order to see the natural wonder and the greatness of the creation of God. I´m now in Bolivia but when I´ll take vacation next year, I´ll try my best to be there and in my return here I´ll tell everybody that my nation is becoming attractive and tourist-oriented. Thanks to the government for the creativity and progress in various projects oriented to the betterment of our economy. Viva Pilpinas. May pag-asa patayo mga kababayan. Sean optimistas.
To all the organizers kudos..great job..
These will promote more of the philippines and manila as a tourist destination.I wish more tourist spot project will come up all over metro and nearby provinces so as tourist had more option.
"Finally" that's the best word to start with. Pero intsik na naman ang may-ari! P1Billion lang pala ang kapital, bat hindi na naisipan ng gobyerno dati pang pagtuunan ng budget? Sana lang maging learning facility yan hindi lang ng public kundi pati na rin ng mga marine-bio. students ng Pilipinas. Ang training facility nyan para sa kanila. Kung hindi baka China na naman ang mas makikinabang nyan pagdating sa kita.
Sigurado may magrereact dito. It's not racism, it's just a statement from a REAL Filipino protecting its mother land from modern colonizers.
hi to all,
I agree with you Mulan. Bakit di naisip ng gobyerno na pondohan ang proyektong iyan. P1Billion lang naman pala. Halos gumastos sila ng malaki sa ibang walang kwentang proyekto. bakit di nla naisip na mas may kompyansa ang pinoy na sabihin sa mga dayuhan "Mga Pilipino ang nag-tulong tulong diyan para mabuo yan". baka pagtawanan lang nila ako dito kapag sinabi ko "hoy mas malaki ang oceanrium NAMIN ano". WOrld class nga pero di namn 100% sa atin. sana lang ay tangkilikin parin natin iyan, pati ang mga sususnod na henerasyon, dahil ang mga naka display na marine animals ay galing sa dagat ng pinas. at sana sa susunod na "world class" na mga proyekto ay "proudly Pilipino made" na. pakuha ako ng maraming litrato diyan next year. KUDOS to all.
kudos to the organizers....what a job. I can now tell to my friends overseas that Philippines is now the place to go coz' of this new creation. But please, to those sharks and baracudas in our government, spare sana ninyo this well organized and very encouraging project....please do not think naman on how you will be riched again out of this very very good deeds.
Good news to all Filipinos atleast may nag invest for that project. dream ko talaga maging archetect b4 pa but di nabigyan ng chance. i have a lot of dream project para sa manila. hope someday makapagpatayo ng Tower sa Manila and great buildings design na world class and dating...
I think 250 pesos is still expensive for us students who studies in a state university nearby. I hope the entrance fee would be cheaper for the students to experience this marine park and learn from it at the same time.
congrats, finally meron n tau ocean park.. jaz wnt 2 ask if my contact numbers sila... tnx a lot more power
A Singaporean noted that the Manila Ocean Park is better than the one in Sentosa.
One thing though, since Lim took over Manila City Hall, wala na akong makitang traffic cops and other law enforcement sa kalye, parang wala ding naglilinis.
“Other oceanarium tunnels only have 180-degree curved walls. The Manila Ocean Park tunnel in effect, would give patrons a better viewing experience,” Romualdez said. She said one wall of the tunnel would feature corals and small fishes, while the other wall would exhibit big fishes like sharks and rays.
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He said that both the oceanarium and the open marine habitats would contain 12,000 cubic meters of seawater featuring 300 marine species indigenous to the Philippines and Southeast Asia. listen to music online, iscsi target
It is nice to have such a project finished and people have access to it. Congratulations on a such a marvelous building with such educational and scientific research potential... blair rewards encore marketing
She said the Manila Ocean Park would not include protected and endangered species such as whale sharks and other sea mammals. Best regards, Katya, CEO of audio burning software