Filipinos need to produce “millions more votes” to make sure that the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) in Palawan becomes one of the world’s New 7 Wonders of Nature.
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje sounded off this appeal to all Filipinos as the agency held Friday (July 22) a media launch of the PPUR as the country’s sole nominee to the global competition which culminates on 11/11/11 or November 11, 2011.
As of the latest rankings, the PPUR holds the precarious position of seventh place among the 28 finalists in the competition. This was attributed to a slowdown in voting for the river which is considered “one of the jewels” of Palawan, regarded to be one of the country’s last frontiers for environmental conservation.
Although the PPUR currently has “a very good chance of winning,” Paje encouraged Filipinos to aim for a higher ranking by submitting more votes through the internet or short messaging service (SMS) or texting. Voting online, which is allowed only once for each email address, can be done until November 11, 2011 at www.new7wonders.com. Meanwhile, cellphone users of all local networks have until September 25 to vote by texting PPUR, PPUR7, or PPUR15 to 2861.
The DENR held the media launch to encourage media practitioners to generate more exposure and help drum up more support for the campaign, both locally and abroad. “Our mass media, through the global information highway, can reach out to millions of Filipinos overseas,” said Paje. “We should bring the PPUR to our countrymen who have not been to Palawan to see the awesome beauty of the river, which took centuries to be crafted by nature.”
Attendees of the media launch were handed copies of a video showing the results of explorations of the PPUR by the Italian geographical association La Venta Esplorazioni Geografiche. The video highlights the PPUR’s features, including its complex and valuable karst ecosystem, estuaries, unique formations, and a recently-uncovered Sirenia or sea cow fossil estimated to be 20 million years old.
Paje, who is also the national campaign manager for the public sector, also appealed to all officials of all government agencies and offices to encourage their own employees to “go beyond your publics and spread the word in their neighborhoods.”
The declaration of the PPUR as a wonder of nature would highlight the “great economic potentials” of the country’s ecotourism destinations, as well as call global attention to its high level of biodiversity which are extremely vulnerable to climate change, according to the environment chief.
He called the PPUR as “a symbol of our unity and strength as a nation,” testing the people’s capacity to adopt and promote a common cause. “This is a very special undertaking that will have a long-term impact for our entire country,” he said. “When success finally comes, we can all take pride in contributing to it and pass on that pride, and the responsibility that comes with it, to the next generation.”
The media launch also followed the issuance of Presidential Proclamation No. 182 declaring a national and international promotion campaign for the PPUR. The proclamation also created a campaign task force, with the Departments of Interior and Local Government and Tourism as Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively, to vigorously promote and push for the proclamation of PPUR as among the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
The search for the New Seven Wonders of Nature was organized by Switzerland-based New7Wonders Foundation in 2007, drawing 440 entries from more than 220 countries. Millions voted for the top 77, which was further narrowed down to 28 finalists for the final phase. PAO, DENR
