MANILA, Philippines—If you believe Palawan’s Underground River deserves a place on the list of the world’s seven greatest nature spots, just text it in.
No less than Vice President Jejomar C. Binay is urging Filipinos to vote for the Puerto Princesa Underground River as it vies with, among others, the Amazon Rainforest, the Dead Sea and the Grand Canyon for a spot in the World’s New Seven Wonders of Nature.
“Please encourage your relatives, friends and every concerned Filipino to vote,” Binay said in a statement. “This is also in support of the Aquino administration’s effort to put the country in the map and bring attention to our beautiful country.”
The Puerto Princesa Underground River is one of 28 finalists competing to be placed on the list of the New Seven Wonders of Nature to be determined by voters around the world.
Other finalists vying for a spot include the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos Islands, Mount Kilimanjaro, Jeju Island, and Mount Vesuvius.
As of Saturday, the Underground River was among the top half of the finalists, but the actual ranking was not shown on the website.
To vote, Globe, Smart or Sun subscribers may text “PPUR 15” to 2861. The public may vote as many times as they want until September 25.
The official announcement of the new Seven Wonders of Nature will be made on Nov. 11, 2011 (11.11.11), which coincides with Vice President Binay’s birthday.
“This is the perfect opportunity to highlight the beauty of our country and encourage the inflow of tourists,” Binay said.
According to its official website, the New7Wonders of Nature campaign started in 2007, immediately following the successful drive to choose the man-made Official New 7 Wonders of the World.
From December 2007 to July 7, 2009, over 440 locations in more than 220 countries were nominated through a national qualification and raced to become one of the Top 77.
From the 77, the New7Wonders Panel of Experts supervised the selection of the 28 Official Candidates, which were announced on July 21, 2009.
The Official New7Wonders of Nature is now in its third and final phase, and an estimated one billion people worldwide are expected to vote for their chosen seven.