EDITORIAL – Chocolate Hills in the running again
The good news, or so some would say, is that the famous Chocolate Hills in
It is good news because, for a while, the glorious and mysterious humps of limestone stradling the towns of Carmen, Sagbayan and Batuan in Cebu's nearest province, blinked off the map and were no longer in contention, temporarily outvoted by other wonders elsewhere.
Maybe that old Filipino magic of one community kicked into the picture and Filipinos, their pride probably pricked, started voting in numbers huge enough to push the Chocolate Hills back into the running.
There is, however, something about the search that makes us a little uncomfortable. And it is that opening the process to public voting reduces it to a mere popularity contest and no longer about whether a natural wonder, any natural wonder, deserves to be in the Magic 7.
Allowing the public to vote opens up the process to sheer predominance of numbers, not necessarily of merits. If, for instance, the Chinese people can be persuaded to vote for one particular wonder, then that wonder is assured of inclusion, given the Chinese population.
It would have been better if the search were based on some scholarly assessment by experts in the varying fields involved in natural wonders, scientists who know what they are talking about and not just ordinary people fired by no other passions than patriotism.
We have nothing against patriotism. But that is something that is best left to matters pertaining to nationalism, politics, history, culture. It is incongruous to accept it as a factor in the selection of natural wonders. But that is apparently what is happening.
We have no doubt the Chocolate Hills deserve to be included in the Magic 7. But let it be because it deserves that place of honor, and not because too many Filipinos have access to the Internet and, for lack of nothing better to do, clicked in the affirmative box.
- Latest
- Trending
