Palawan’s Underground River Pushed as One of the New 7 Wonders of Nature

We Filipinos know that our country is naturally beautiful, but now we have a chance to show the world as our very own Puerto Princesa Underground River is now a finalist as one of the 7 New Wonders of Nature.

In 200 B.C., Philon of Byzantium chose seven man-made structures and declared them the Seven Wonders of the World, now known as the Seven Ancient Wonders. Today, only one of these structures, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, still exists, leading to the campaign to find the New 7 Wonders of the World and the New 7 Wonders of Nature. People from all over the world can take part in selecting the New 7 Wonders by voting online or via text until November 10, 2011. The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be revealed on November 11, 2011.

The Puerto Princesa Underground River is one ofPalawan's popular tourist attractions, having been declared a UNESCO Natural Heritage Sitein 1999. The river runs through the cave of a limestone karst mountain and flows out to the South China Sea. It is known to be the longest navigable underground river in the world.

As part of our government's efforts to push Philippine tourism, the Puerto Princesa Underground River was one of the Philippine's entries in the search for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. After the first round of voting by people all around the globe, it made it into the shortlist, being among one of the top 77 out of 440 entries. From the top 77, the New 7 Wonders Panel selected 28 Finalists of which the Puerto Princesa Underground River is the 11^th.

Last Wednesday, June 1, Mayor Herbert Bautista of Quezon City and Mayor Edward Hagedorn ofPuerto Princesa signed a Memorandum of Agreement that stands to signify the two cities' sisterhood and their commitment to keep their cities clean and to protect the environment. In order to show support for this advocacy and to raise awareness about the endeavor to make the Puerto Princesa Underground River one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, a concert entitled Tunog Wunderground will be held on Sunday, June 5, at 4:00 in the afternoon at the Quezon Memorial Circle. A voting center will be set up at the concert so that those in attendance will have the chance to vote. The participants of this event include Noel Cabangon, Gloc 9, Nina, Rivermaya with Paolo Valenciano, Franco, and Julianne, among many others. Admission is free.

Support the Puerto Princesa Underground River campaign to be a part of the New 7 Wonders of Nature and vote here.