Filipinos to vote for Palawan’s New 7 Wonders of Nature bid

Manila: President Benigno Aquino asked Filipinos to vote online for the entry of the subterranean river in Palawan, southwestern Philippines, in an ongoing search for the world's seven wonders.

"Let us promote tourism to help create a better future for the Filipinos," Aquino told the Philippine News Agency (PNA), following a tour of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP).

All Filipinos nationwide, including those who are abroad, should participate in the polling, by writing "PPUR" in an SMS message and sending it to 2861, Aquino said. PPUR refers to the PPSRNP, he explained.

Diverse formation

The PPSRNP's 8.2km river is the longest passable underground river in the world. It has awesome rock formations and a diverse collection of flora and fauna.

The PPSRNP, formerly St Paul Subterranean National Park, is based in Sitio Sabang, Barangay Cabayugan Village, and some 81 kilometres northwest of Puerto Princesa City. The PPSRNP is one of the finalists competing with 27 other sites for the title, a contest launched by New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2007.

The competition was organised by New7Wonders Foundation, a government-controlled corporation led by Bernard Weber, a Canadian-Swiss.

In 1999, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) declared it as a Natural World Heritage Site. In 2003, the National Committee on Geological Sciences proclaimed it as National Geological Monument.