CLARK FREEPORT -- Officials of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) is set to re-launch one of the country’s famous theme parks here, which will be called “Nayon Clark Park” (NCP), an almost entirely new attraction built on fresh concepts and strategies.
The formerly known Nayong Pilipino Clark will be re-launched on October 28 this year.
NPF Executive Director Michelle Aguilar-Ong made the announcement recently during the Capampangan in Media Inc. (CAMI) weekly Balitaan forum held at the Bale Balita here.
Ong said NCP will be the home of Filipino diversity, a showcase and venue of expression for the arts such as visual, performing, literature, culinary, among others.
The theme park will also showcase Filipino history, culture, heritage, and tradition, highlighting the 169 indigenous tribes of the Philippines.
“The park is also aimed to be the home of every young and struggling artist in various fields,” Ong said.
She also explained that the 5.6-hectare park complex is currently undergoing renovation including the theater area, the villages, the food park, the man-made lagoon, the galleries, and the replacement and upgrading of the lighting, equipment, and other display areas and centers.
On its reopening soon, she added that the theater will be used for daily cultural shows, while the food park will also host retail goods like souvenir and novelty items and delicatessen.
The lagoon, one of the main attractions when Expo Pilipino was established in 1998, will also be used for entertainment purposes, Ong added.
To make the park more attractive, the Nayon Clark Park logo will use the Vanda Sanderiana flower, an orchid commonly known in the Philippines as “waling-waling,” which will be also launched before the opening on October.
She stressed the waling-waling orchid is among the rare flower species and famous worldwide.
She also said that replicas or miniatures of important places and structures, which the old theme park is known for, will continue to be among the exciting attractions like the famous rice terraces of Banaue, the Barasoain Church in Malolos, the house of national hero Jose Rizal, and others will also be on display in the park.
Ong also said the villages of Kalinga, Ifugao, and Aetas are among the groups of indigenous peoples that will be reproduced.
Native dances will also be given highlight at the new Nayon, including the works of aspiring artists in painting, sculpture, artifacts, and artistic creations will be on display at the galleries for the appreciation of local and foreign visitors and tourists.
The theme park was transferred here from Manila in July 2002 under Executive Order No.11 signed by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and opened anew in 2007 at the multibillion-peso former Expo Filipino complex in Clark.
Ong said NPF will be aggressive in marketing the new theme park, targeting not only students and educational field trips but also for tourism activities replicating the meeting, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) thrust of the Clark Development Corporation.
By October, Ong said that Nayon will be included in the public utility jeepneys route in cooperation with CDC.