Lagawan

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Oct. 21 (PNA) — The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP), home of the longest navigable subterranean river, has remained solid in the No. 1 spot for five consecutive weeks in the ongoing search for the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

From Sept. 22 to Oct. 20, the world renowned “Underground River” still occupied the topped position in the live ranking on the search new nature wonders.

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Qu?ng Ninh province, Vietnam followed in second place, while Cox’s Bazar, a bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes in Bangladesh settled in third sport.

Meanwhile, the Chocolate Hills in Bohol currently on the fourth and Palawan’s Tubbataha Reef, which has been designated by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site is on the fifth spot.

Mayor Edward Hagedorn is elated with the development, saying that it is still exciting because it’s like the “American Idol” of sites around the world that were created naturally.

“Our various campaigns to get the subterranean river to the highest rank in the New 7 Wonders of Nature have finally paid off. We are now No. 1 in the live ranking since September 22. Let us hope that the trend remains that way,” Hagedorn said.

Earlier, Hagedorn and the city government launched the “U R a Wonder of Nature” to swell the votes that the PPSRNP is getting for the wonders of nature search.

The project provides free tours to the subterranean park – entrance fees and ride fares waived – to allow more residents of the city’s 66 barangays to visit.

The campaign only requires simple conditions: that those who will avail have voted for the park and must show proof, and that they’re legitimate residents.

Last September, city government participated in the 19th Philippine Travel Mart held at the Megatrade Halls of the SM Megamall in Manila, got another major boost in its campaign for the park to be included in the N7W.

Visitors who went to the booth of Puerto Princesa were encourage to participate in the effort to bring the subterranean park to the awareness of the world as a spot in the Philippines whose beauty is remains extraordinary compared to other places.

Inside the PPSRNP can be found the 8.5-kilometer navigable underground river, which is said to be the longest in the world. Domestic and foreign guests, including ambassadors and foreign attaches, have been awed by the unique cave system that it has with cathedral-like formations of stalagmites and stalactites.

The “Seven Wonders of Nature” search is organized by the non-profit New Seven Wonders Foundation which also undertook the “New Seven Wonders of the World”

Voting for the 7 New Wonders is on going and will continue through December 31, 2008. (PNA)