Pinoys urged to vote for Vigan in New7Wonders Cities

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay yesterday urged the public to go online and vote for Vigan City as one of the New7Wonders Cities of the world.

Vigan is one of 28 cities vying for a slot in the New7Wonders Cities and the only nominee from the Philippines.

The 27 others are Athens in Greece, Bangkok in Thailand, Barcelona in Spain, Beirut in Lebanon, Casablanca in Morocco, Chicago in the US, Doha in Qatar, Durban in South Africa, Havana in Cuba, Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, Istanbul in Turkey, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Kyoto in Japan, La Paz in Bolivia, London in the UK, Mendoza in Argentina, Mexico City in Mexico, Mumbai in India, Perth in Australia, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Prague in Czech Republic, Quito in Ecuador, Reykjavik in Iceland, St. Petersburg in Russia, Seoul in South Korea, Shenzhen in China and Vancouver in Canada.

“Vigan reflects our country’s rich culture and history. As Filipinos proud of our own heritage, let us help make Vigan our very own world wonder,” Binay said.

Aside from Binay, Sen. Loren Legarda also called on Filipinos to help Vigan make it to the list of New7Wonders Cities.

Legarda cited the city’s well-preserved, centuries-old structures that seemed to bring people back in time, yet its prosperity shows how the residents and the local government worked well and made good use of its autonomy.

Vigan aims to duplicate the success of the Puerto Princesa Underground River, which was named one of the New7Wonders of Nature in 2012.

Binay expressed hope that by gaining the title, Vigan will be able to attract more local and foreign visitors, and “inspire appreciation of our heritage.”

He said Filipinos should always grab the opportunity to showcase the country’s beauty.

“This is an opportunity for us to showcase the beauty of our country and motivate others to protect and preserve their cultural legacy so future generations will be able to appreciate and cherish it,” he said.

Legarda said Vigan is the only UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) world heritage city in the Philippines and was awarded the Best Practice for world heritage site management in November 2012.

“The best practices that the people of Vigan have carried out to preserve history and promote culture while working toward sustainable development should be emulated and recognized. I call on Filipinos to support Vigan City’s bid to be one of the New7Wonders Cities,” she said.

The senator said the city deserves to be included in the list not only to bring honor to the country but also to set a good example to other cities on how history and culture can stand out amidst modernity.

According to New7Wonders’ official website, the New7Wonders Cities campaign started in 2012 with more than 1,200 nominees from around 220 countries.

From the top 77 cities voted during the qualification phase, the panel of experts for the New7Wonders Cities selected 28 official final candidates that were announced in October 2013.

The 28 cities will be trimmed down to 21 on July 7. Three more voting stages will follow until the New7Wonders Cities will be revealed on Dec. 7.

The final phase for the voting, which can be done through www.new7wonders.com/en/cities, will run from Oct. 7 to Dec. 7.

Meanwhile, the city government of Vigan urged Filipinos to help in its quest for inclusion in the list.

“Let this be a journey where every Filipino shall join hands to bring pride to our country. Let us go beyond the border of our nation to achieve our goal,” said Vigan Mayor Eva Marie Medina.

The city government asked President Aquino to endorse Vigan’s bid in the New7Wonder Cities before the elimination ends on July 7.

The President’s endorsement, Medina said, “will be a big boost to our bid.”

She said that awareness is a crucial component in the city’s campaign to win, noting that many Filipinos are still unaware of the global competition.

“This is not only a battle for Vigan, but for the entire country,” said Medina.– With Charlie Lagasca