Plaque recognizing Palawan underground river to be unveiled Saturday

President Benigno Aquino III is set to unveil Saturday a 100-kilo plaque officially recognizing Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) in Palawan as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature (N7WN).   The competition organizer New Seven Wonders of Nature Foundation will also be turning over a smaller plaque, which will be displayed at the underground river.   In connection with this, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. directed all government employees and concerned agencies to give their full support and participate in activities recognizing PPUR.   Ochoa, in Memorandum Circular No. 29 signed on April 12, also enjoined local government units to extend assistance to the PPUR-N7WN Campaign Task Force, which will spearhead the inaugural ceremonies at One Esplanade in Pasay City on April 21.   “It is only necessary that all of us give due acknowledgment and appreciation to the PPUR, which is now among the N7WN, through an inauguration ceremony,” Ochoa said on Thursday.   “Our campaign in making the PPUR as one of the world-famous tourist spots in our country was a success and we anticipate that it will further attract international interest as well as boost tourism and investment that will benefit our country,” he added.   The Executive Secretary instructed the heads of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), among others, to coordinate with and assist the PPUR-N7WN Campaign Task Force in the inaugural activities.   “Subject to prescribed budgetary guidelines and government auditing rules and regulations, all government agencies concerned are authorized to allocate funds from available sources to cover the operational requirements for the conduct of activities,” Ochoa said.   Early this year, the Switzerland-based N7WN Foundation officially proclaimed PPUR as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, giving the popular Palawan destination a distinct position in the international tourist map.   The foundation describes the 8.2-kilometer navigable Puerto Princesa Underground River—located about 80 km northwest of the Palawan capital's city proper—as consisting of “a limestone karst mountain landscape, several large chambers containing significant formations of stalactites and stalagmites [that] wind through a cave before flowing directly into the West Philippine Sea.”   Proclamation No. 182, issued on June 3, 2011, declared a national and international promotion campaign in support of the PPUR as the country’s lone entry and finalist in the search for the N7WN. It also created the PPUR-N7WN Campaign Task Force, which was responsible for the active voting campaign at the national and local levels that catapulted PPUR as one of the N7WN. — Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News