RP wonders surge ahead

The Philippines is back in the running.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) reported yesterday that the country’s four candidates for the new seven wonders of nature contest are again putting up a good fight.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said after dropping down to the top 20 last month, the Philippine entries are now in the top 11 in the live online ranking of nominees from around the world.

“As of Sept. 29, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is at no. 1, Chocolate Hills is at no. 4, closely followed by Tubbataha Reef at no. 5 while Mayon Volcano is at no. 11,” Durano disclosed.

While elated by the country’s current rankings, Durano urged Filipinos not to be complacent.

“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,” Durano stressed.

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

“The whole world is tuned in to this competition. Even if only one of our candidates remains in the final 7, we would have gained so much publicity for our country as a destination with diverse natural sites,” Durano explained.

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 seven new sites were officially chosen after a successful poll which posted 100 million international votes.

Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr. noted that a nominee in the online search must meet one of the following criteria – it must be a natural site, a natural monument or a natural landscape and there must be no human interference involved in its creation.

According to Jarque, 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.

He added that some of the 77 nominees are still waiting for official support while others have pending requirements.

Also in the top ten list are (2) Ha Long Bay, Vietnam; (3) Cox’s Bazaar Beach, Bangladesh; (6) Al-hasa Oasis, Saudi Arabia; (7) Ganges River, Bangladesh/India; (8) Ali Sadr Cave, Iran; (9) Sundarbans Forest, Bangladesh/India; (10) Lake Saiful Maluk, Pakistan.