PHL preps for New7Wonders inauguration of Puerto Princesa Underground River

Preparations are underway for the official inauguration of the New7Wonders of Nature, which includes the Philippines’ Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) in Palawan in the West Philippine Sea.

 

Bernard Weber, founder and president of New7Wonders, made the announcement in Manila where he met with Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn, PPUR campaign director Nardz Villafranca and Jean-Paul de la Fuente, New7Wonders director.

 

“When your very own President Aquino came out in support of the PPUR campaign, I knew that this country was taking the New7Wonders of Nature seriously,” Weber said. 

 

“Fans of PPUR all over the world responded to his call for action by voting in record numbers and today’s confirmation is the well-earned reward for this extraordinary display of enthusiasm,” he added.

 

“This confirmation is wonderful news for Puerto Princesa, and a great example of how now its more fun to be in the Philippines,” Mayor Hagedorn was quoted as saying. 

 

“Worldwide exposure of our natural beauty on this level is critical both for tourism and for our image nationally and internationally,” Hagedorn also said.

 

Weber and Hagedorn discussed, aside from the inauguration preparations, “the implementation of the strategic plan for promoting PPUR using its title as one of the New7Wonders of Nature.”

 

Trending topic

 

Filipino netizens on Twitter and Facebook were among the first to know that the river was confirmed on Saturday as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. 

 

They spread the word so fast and furious in Twitterverse that it quickly became one of the top trending topics on a national and global scale.

 

Malacañang said in a statement the confirmation of PPUR “is welcome news indeed.”

 

“Throughout the competition, Filipinos from all walks of life have given time, energy, and resources to this campaign. This effort has raised awareness not only overseas, but nationally as well: visits to the PPUR have increased tremendously. This is proof positive of how effective a national effort of this sort can be: to build awareness, express pride, and achieve results,” the Palace statement said.

 

The process

 

The PPUR is the second to be confirmed on a preliminary basis, as New7Wonders has now completed the telephone voting validation in the Philippines. Jeju Island of South Korea was confirmed first.

 

Preliminary confirmed status is given after validation of the national phone and SMS voting results.

 

The next step is the “verification of the total worldwide calculation, to be completed once all national phone and SMS voting results are validated, expected during the first quarter of 2012,” New7Wonders said on its website.

 

Last steps are preparation and implementation of the Official Inauguration events for each confirmed New7Wonder of Nature.

 

Awaiting confirmation are the Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Komodo, and Table Mountain. 

The river and its environs form the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, which is a World Heritage site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).The park made it to the World Heritage list because of its extraordinary qualities. "A distinguishing feature of the river is that it flows directly into the sea, and the lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The area also represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation. The site contains a full mountain to the sea ecosystem and protects forests, which are among the most significant in Asia," the UNESCO said on its website.

New7Wonders describes the 8.2-kilometer navigable Puerto Princesa Underground River—located about 50km north of the city of Puerto Princesa—as consisting of “a limestone karst mountain landscape, several large chambers containing significant formations of stalactites and stalagmites (that) winds through a cave before flowing directly into the West Philippine Sea.”

 

“At the exit, a flawless lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water’s edge,” it added.  — Earl Victor Rosero, GMA News