The president of the Philippines Benign Aquino III has pleaded with his countrymen and women to vote for the country’s contender to be named as one of the new “Seven Wonders of Nature”.
600 km south-west of capital Manila, the Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan province is among 28 finalists in the competition to be honored as one of the New7Wonders of Nature.
President Aquino told journalists that Puerto Princesa being named as one of the seven new wonders would serve to boost tourist numbers in the region tremendously and go a long way to reducing the area’s poverty by providing new jobs for people living there.
“Each one of us has their part to play,” said Aquino as he addressed his fellow Filipinos at the launch of the countrywide campaign to boost the hopes of the Puerto Princesa Underground River.
“We all need to get out there and vote, either on the internet or by text message, we have to make sure that Puerto Princesa takes its rightful place amongst the new seven wonders.”
“I hope that all Filipinos will help the country, on behalf of our people and our environment.”
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, the Puerta Princesa Underground River Runs for more than 8 kilometers underneath the stunning Saint Paul mountain range and its marble and limestone peaks, before flowing out to the South China Sea.
Aside from the amazing length of the underground river, Puerto Princesa also has many kinds of rare fossils and archaeological finds.
“A group of Italian archaeologists have been carrying out excavations nearby for several months now,” said the president. “They have made all kinds of remarkable discoveries there – including fossilized seas cows and Sirenia that date as far back as 20 million years ago.”