Clark Freeport”•The new Nayon Clark Park, formerly the Nayon Pilipino Foundation park, will open on Oct. 28 after undergoing minor repairs and renovation.
Michelle Aguilar-Ong, NPF executive director, announced this over the weekend, saying the repairs will be finished within 90 days in time for the opening of the 30th Southeast Asian Games from November 30 to December 11, and for the coming Christmas holiday season.
Ong stressed that Nayon Clark Park will remain the home and showcase of Filipino history, culture, heritage, and tradition, including displays for the 169 indigenous tribes of the country.
In a media forum here, she explained the repairs and renovation of the 5.6-hectare complex included the theater, villages, food park, lagoon, galleries, and the replacement of lighting, equipment, and other display areas.
The village will be used by artists and performers coming from the regions and provinces, Ong said.
The logo of Nayon Clark Park is the Vanda sanderiana, an orchid commonly known in the Philippines as “waling-waling” that will be also launched before the opening on October.
The renovated theater will be used for daily cultural shows, while the food park hosts retail goods like souvenir items, delicatessen, and small items.
The lagoon will also be used for entertainment purposes, Ong said.
Unlike other theme parks that charge retailers high fees, the NPF management will only charge them P2,000 a month for maintenance purposes, but will take a certain percentage of their gross sales, she said.
The main target of the cultural park are students through educational trips that continue to shape the Filipino nation and returning Filipinos from abroad, aside from foreign and local tourists.
Ong stressed that replicas or miniatures of important places and structures that continue to enrich the nation, 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.
The indigenous villages of Kalinga, Ifugao, and Aetas in Pampanga are among the 196 group of native peoples that will be reproduced so that visitors can gain an idea on their roots and their way of life that is different from other sectors of Philippines society.
According to Ong, the natives will also showcase their respective way of life through dances and tradition, which visitors can join in a friendly and educational manner.
Works of aspiring artists in painting, sculpture, artifacts, and artistic creations will be on display at the galleries of the new Nayon Clark Park for the appreciation of local and foreign visitors.
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 Expo Filipino complex in Mabalacat City, Pampanga, where the Clark Freeport Zone is located. R