New ‘jungle’ rises in Subic

The theme park is located in the naval magazine area of the Subic Bay Freeport

By Anthony Bayarong, Correspondent

SUBIC BAY Freeport: Visitors to this free pormay already be familiar with the mischievous macaque monkeys that often wander into the roadside, willing to be photographed for some scrap of food. But now, a giant monkey beckons public attention. His name is Jungle Joe and the 50-hectare wonderland under his domain is called… well, Jungle Joe’s World.

Jungle Joe’s World, a project of the Subic Family Land Co., is the latest entry to the growing theme park industry here, and the biggest tourism destination inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone today in terms of occupied area.

Located in the Naval Magazine area, which previously housed the US Navy ammunition depot when Subic was still a naval base, the multimillion development project makes use of camouflaged bunkers converted into air-conditioned amusement centers, with jungle trails amidst gargantuan trees.

The park, which will formally open next year, will join other popular Subic theme parks like Ocean Adventure, which boasts of dolphins and other marine attractions, and Zoobic Safari, which has a wide collection of exotic wild animals.

In a “sneak peek” organized over the weekend by Jungle Joe CEO Yvette Desiongco during the park’s soft opening, the theme park management toured members of local media and employees of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), who were awed by the work in progress.

“If you had seen this place six months ago, you would appreciate even better how much progress has been done in such a short time,” remarked SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza.

“To be honest, I am just as excited as my kids are to be visiting the park today,” added Arreza, who playfully took photos of his children at Jungle Joe’s colorful playground.

At least five bunkers in the huge theme park have already been converted into air-conditioned themed amusement centers: Indy 500, where children can drive mini-race cars around a mini-race track; Winter Wonderland, which is filled with a collection of Christmas symbols like Santa Claus and his reindeers; Playhouse Theater, which provides video entertainment in a playhouse setting; Voodoo Combo, which has scary stuff with a Halloween theme; and Jungle Fever Discotheque, which offers a different kind of dancing experience.

Besides the amusement bunkers, Jungle Joe’s World also has the Jurassic Trail, which is filled with giant fiberglass animals carved by artisans from Angono, Rizal—the same supplier of props and displays to Enchanted Kingdom, Disneyland, and Universal Studios.

Jungle Joe is also tapping engineers from the University of the Philippines to do the animatronics system for the theme park, said Desiongco.

More attractions, she said, will be developed before the park opens next year. Among the planned features are Jungle Joe’s Survival Trail, Adventure Maze, and the Caanaba Beach.

The park would also have a gift shop, a central food court, a bike trail, and a mini-railway system that would transport visitors around the sprawling grounds.

“We are also planning to construct a lift like that in Aspen [Colorado], where skiers ride to the top of the slope,” Desiongco revealed. “This would allow visitors to Jungle Joe’s world to see the whole theme park from top view,” she said.

Desiongco also said her company would provide lodgings for visitors who would like to stay overnight.

“But instead of constructing a hotel, we would build tree houses to give our visitors a distinct jungle experience,” she added.

Jungle Joe’s World will formally open in March next year.