Puerto Princesa underground river tops wonders survey

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is now leading 77 nominees around the globe for the New 7 Wonders of Nature, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

The DOT said three other Philippine tourism spots are showing a strong presence, landing on the top 11 live online rankings as of September 29.

These are Chocolate Hills is at number 4, followed by Tubbataha Reef, 5 while Mayon Volcano is at number 11.

The New 7 Wonders of Nature is an ongoing campaign sponsored by the New 7 Wonders Foundation based in Switzerland. The same group initiated the New 7 Wonders of the World project last year, wherein 7 new sites were officially chosen after a successful poll, which posted 100 million international votes.

"We are pleased with the current rankings. But as the finale draws near, we should be more persistent in urging Filipinos to vote and actively promote our candidates," said DOT secretary Ace Durano.

Although the competition mandates that only one of the country’s nominees will be included in the official 7, Durano said that having four strong candidates at this stage is a great boost for Philippine tourism.

Nominees must meet one of the following criteria; it must be a natural site, a natural monument or a natural landscape. There must be no human interference involved in the creation of the sites."

Only a candidate entered by a country’s Official Supporting Committee is considered a certified contender. Mayon Volcano, Chocolate Hills, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and Tubbataha Reef are all official candidates.

Some of the 77 nominees are still waiting for official support, while others have pending requirements. The rest are multi-national candidates, which await support from each of the country, which nominated them.