on Monday, February 6, 2017
Carla P. Gomez

A P600 million “magical world” in Silay City that will reflect Negrense culture will open to the public early next year, Aton Land and Leisure (ALL) president Reynaldo Bantug said Saturday.

A perspective of theme park to rise in Silay City soon.*

Bantug said the 4-hectare theme park that will showcase numerous rides, with themes centered on local folklore and legends in a wholesome fun and magical way, will be bankrolled by Negrense investors.

The groundbreaking for the theme park that is designed to accommodate 3,000 visitors a day will be held soon, he added.

Bacolod businessman Sammy Palanca, who, over the years, has brought circuses and carnivals to Bacolod, is ALL chairman of the board.

Bantug said the prime mover of the project is Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) whose vision is to catalyze the tourism industry of Negros Occidental and to diversify its economy.

In the construction phase ALL aims to hire from 500 to 1,000 workers, and 170 to 250 during actual operations, Bantug said.

The two main objectives of the theme park is to draw tourists to Negros, and showcase to them local culture, he said.

We will attract visitors from Negros and neighboring islands of Panay and Cebu, as well as balikbayans, he said.

“We would like to offer them a theme park experience that is not available here, unless you go out of the country or, at the very least, Manila, ” he said.

The theme park will also be reasonably priced for visitors, he added.

The park will have three zones for the kiddie rides, thrill rides, and a cultural village.

The park will feature an initial 14 all new name rides, including the tallest Ferris wheel in the Visayas, roller coasters and pirate ships. Among the suppliers of theme park rides is Zamperla, an Italian firm that is the biggest supplier of Disneyland, Bantug said.

The cultural village will showcase local culture and products, with a permanent exhibit for educational tours for children, he said.

The park will be for entertainment and education, Bantug added.

The park will also have a haunted house, a 3D theater, with the walkway at its entrance where the souvenir and retail shops reflecting the architecture of Silay’s heritage houses, will be located, he added.

The park will also abound with fun characters from local folklore, with renowned Negrense director Peque Gallaga as its artistic consultant, Bantug said.

“It’s going to be out-of-this world…once you enter you will be transposed to a magical world,” he said, adding that they are using all local talents.

ALL aims to register the theme park area and the property around it as a Tourism Estate Enterprise Zone, where a lifestyle center can be developed that will include a hotel, he said.

The master planner of the park is DQA Inc., a design and planning firm responsible for the building of the leading amusement parks in the Philippines, Bantug said.

They are also being assisted by the Philippine Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions headed by Mario Mamon, who is also Enchanted Kingdom chairman and president.

Mamon is the first from the Asia-Pacific region to chair the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions or IAAPA in its 95-year history, Bantug said.*CPG

The Visayan Daily Star Front Page- February 6, 2017.*