Manila: An online campaign against plans by an American children’s TV network to build a theme park in the Philippines has gone viral.

The owner of Nickelodeon plans to build the 400-hectare underwater theme park in Coron, Palawan, in southwest Philippines.

But environmentalists have been jealously guarding Palawan’s pristine coastlines and forests — the oldest and most diverse in Southeast Asia. The region is home to Unesco World Heritage-listed sites, a subterranean river and the Tubbataha coral reefs.

“The online petition has received 50,000 signatures in its first three hours,” Anna Oposa, executive director of Save Philippine Sea told Gulf News.

“We have launched an online petition against Viacom International Media Networks for children — it owns Nickelodeon whose products SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer I watched while growing up — because it is investing with a Philippine partner, Coral World Park Undersea Resorts Inc, in a 400-hectare underwater theme park, which will destroy natural resources for current and future generations in Coron, northern Palawan,” explained Oposa.

Viacom is “setting a terrible example to younger generations [with a project that will be] taking away their right to enjoy natural resources [in Coron], she added.

“We don’t need an underwater theme park — our underwater life in Coron is fascinating, entertaining, and educational in its natural state,” said Oposa, adding, “The project will accomplish the exact opposite of its press release — to allegedly advocate ocean protection. Building artificial structures [under the sea] will undeniably damage and disrupt the marine ecosystem of Palawan.”

Suggesting another project, Oposa said, “The local government of Palawan, Viacom-Nickelodeon, and Coral World Park should invest instead on marine biodiversity-friendly endeavours; marine protected areas; sustainable livelihood and environmental education programmes for local communities.”

The project is yet to be approved, assured John Vincent Fabello, spokesperson of Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD).

Getting past the several layers of clearances for the ambitious project would like entering the “eye of the needle,” said Febello who said environmental impact assessments (EIA) must show the project would not harm coral reefs and other marine ecosystems in its proposed location.

Clearances needed included the Strategic Environmental Palawan (SEP), a PCSD (Palawan Council for Sustainable Development) clearance that demands satisfaction of issues such as ecological and social viability, and integrated approach.

A multi-sectoral and intergovernmental body, PCSD enforces Republic Act 7611, also known as SEP Act; and implements Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN), a system that provides development control on Palawan province.

Lawyer Jansen Jontila of Palawan-based Environmental Legal Assistance Centre said the proposed project must also get an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) from the environment department; and free prior and informed consent (FPIC) from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) if it’s location is on ancestral waters.

On January 9, Ron Johnson, Viacom executive vice president, praised Palawan — “it is known to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world today.” Featuring restaurants and lounges six meters below sea level, the mega-resort would open in 2020, he announced.

Paul Monozca, Coral World Park chair, promised, “We are taking very, very careful measures to ensure that the biodiversity (of Coron) is kept intact.”

Known for its awesome diving sites, only .60 per cent of Coron’s live coral cover is in excellent condition; one per cent in very good condition; 3.2 per cent, in good condition; 63.4 per cent in fair condition; and 31.8 per cent, in poor condition, according to PCSD.