...the new Seven Wonder of Nature finalist

Aquino urges Filipinos to vote for Palawan’s Underground River

By Izah Morales

Yahoo! Southeast Asia

The Inbox – Wed, Jun 8, 2011

 

Photo by Agence France Presse

Philippine president Benigno S. Aquino III encouraged Filipinos from all over the world to vote for the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River  (PPSR) National Park to be one of the new seven wonders of nature. Filipinos can vote online at www.new7wonders.com, or by texting PPUR to 2861. Voting ends on November 11, 2011.

"We can help [the] Puerto Princesa Underground River, as well as the Philippines, garner a distinct spot on the international tourist map. I leave the mode of choice to you, but please remember to vote, and vote to the maximum," said Aquino in his speech at the launch of the campaign for the Underground River.

He added: "While winning a place in the top seven bolsters our sense of national pride, recognition is not the only thing we can gain. We must also remember that the tourists we can potentially attract will redound to thousands of employment opportunities; our success here will ultimately breed success for Filipinos everywhere."

Aquino also noted the research done by an Italian group called La Venta.

Photo by Izah Morales

"They have made some stunning discoveries—such as the fossils of sea cows or Sirenia dating back to the Miocene period—roughly 20 million years ago. Aside from being rare fossils previously found only in Java, Indonesia, these findings also emphasize further the sheer historic value of our Underground River and of the country we live in," he said.

The New 7 Wonders website described the PPSR  National Park as having the world's longest underground river with amazing stalactites and stalagmites formations.

"The distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea," it stated.