Wonderland

THINGS seem to be looking up these days for Philippine tourism.
Following the overwhelming support given to the Department of Tourism’s new ad campaign “It’s More Fun in the Philippines,” yet another accolade has been bestowed upon the country—the confirmation of the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) in Palawan as one of the New7Wonders of Nature.
“Founded in 2001 by filmmaker Bernard Weber in Zurich, the foundation New7Wonders is based on the same principle on which the seven ancient wonders of the world were established. That list of seven wonders was attributed to Philon of Byzantium in ancient Greece. New7Wonders said its aim is to create a global memory by garnering participation worldwide,” “ reported Inquirer.net about the foundation.
Located on the north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island, PPUR boasts of majestic formations of stalactites and stalagmites and is considered to be one of the most important protected areas of the Philippines.
Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn proudly said that the confirmation of PPUR is proof that it is really “more Fun in the Philippines.” He added that the inclusion of the underground river will be able to boost the image, not only of Puerto Princesa, but of the whole country as well.
New7Wonders Founder-President Bernard Weber, said that this “extraordinary display of enthusiasm” for PPUR did not go unnoticed.
“Fans of PPUR all over the world responded to his call for action by voting in record numbers and on January 28’s confirmation is the well-earned reward for this extraordinary display of enthusiasm,” he said.
He commended the government of the Philippines, particularly President Benigno Aquino III for involving himself in promoting the PPUR—sailing on the river on a paddleboat himself to promote the beauty of PPU and earn more votes.
“When your very own President Aquino came out in support of the PPUR campaign, I knew that this country was taking the New7Wonders of Nature seriously,” said Weber.
Weber shared that even an anchor of CNN “was very surprised to find an underground river on the list and thought it was very exciting.”
Meanwhile, Managing Director of ABS-CBN Foundation and staunch supporter of the Save Palawan Movement Gina Lopez, along with Mayor Hagedorn and other notable personalities, have come up with the “No to Mining in Palawan” signature campaign.
The campaign “hopes to raise 10 million signatures to send a strong message to the governments of the Philippines and Palawan of the need to stop mining activities in Palawan and help protect its natural resources,” reported ABS-CBN.
While the nation is still besieged with political instability and economic woes, this bit of good news gives Filipinos a reason to breathe— amid the stuffiness of our government leaders in the court room drama called the Chief Justice’s impeachment trial.
After all, it’s not just “more fun in the Philippines”—there are a million other things to be grateful for as well.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(NYNJ Feb 3-8, 2012 Sec A pg.6)