WITH only three days left before the voting process ends, the Puerto Princesa Underground River has made it to the final list of 10 contenders for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Organizers said the competition is tough for the top seven.
The list of world’s 28 top natural sites is being trimmed down to seven in a global voting that is expected to draw more than a billion participants.
The quest for the final winners—to be known as the New 7 Wonders of Nature—ends on midnight Thursday; the final declaration of the winners will be made the following day.
Besides the Puerto Princesa Underground River, the other sites that made the shortlist in alphabetical order are: the Dead Sea, the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, Halong Bay, Jeita Grotto, Jeju Island, Komodo Island, Sundarbans and Vesuvius. Puerto Princesa City Tourism Officer Rebecca Labit said the country is doing its utmost to urge Filipinos in the country and abroad to vote “aggressively” in the last few days.
“The next few days are very important to intensify voting for the PPUR [Puerto Princesa Underground River]. Every effort counts and we encourage all supporters to campaign and vote. All strategies are welcome for the sure win of the PPUR as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature site,” Labit told the BusinessMirror.
She said a voting center has been set up in Puerto Princesa. Some local government units and civic-society groups have been holding concerts to strengthen the campaign. Earlier, Mayor Edward Hagedorn, together with Environment Secretary Ramon Paje and Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, made a pitch for the underground river through the “Pera sa Kweba” text promo that seeks to encourage the public to vote via text for the inclusion of the site as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The promo will give away more than P30 million worth of cash prizes by texting PPUR to 2861. President Aquino has also urged Filipinos to help push the country’s bid after he made a tour at the underground river early this year.
Revealing the current top 10 on Sunday, Bernard Weber, president and founder of New7Wonders, said: “Clearly, Asian finalists are strong at this stage, reflecting the way the world is evolving east. At the same time, I know the actual top seven will change in the coming days. We remain excited and intrigued to see who will emerge as the provisional New 7 Wonders of Nature on November 11.”
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By: Imelda V. Abano
Source: Business Mirror, Nov. 7, 2011
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