PGMA rallies Filipinos to vote on line for 3 RP natural wonders
DUMAGUETE CITY – “Let’s vote online for our natural wonders.”

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made the call as she exhorted all Filipinos here and abroad to help the government in its campaign for the Tubbataha Reef, Chocolate Hills and the Underground River to win in the search for the world’s “Seven New Wonders of Nature.”

The President made the appeal during a three-on-one interview with her by broadcast journalists Glenda Descuatan, area manager for Visayas of Skycable ABS-CBN 2; Malacañang reporter RG Cruz of ABS-CBN 2; and KBP Negros Oriental president and DYSR radio station manager Roy Bustillo at one of the showrooms of Sidlakang Negros Village here.

The President said that from here, she would proceed to Tubbataha Reef to dive there and dramatize “my simple contribution” to the country’s campaign to sell to the world the Chocolate Hills in Bohol and Underground River in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, among others.

“We are encouraging all Filipinos who are either living here or working abroad to vote for our natural treasures.” the President stressed.

She said all environmental-friendly Filipinos should vote online through www.newsevenwonders.com to ensure that the Tubbataha Reef, Chocolate Hills and the Underground River will be included in the most coveted list .

The President stressed that it would be an honor for the country to have these beautiful spots become part of the seven new wonders of the world to further boost Philippine tourism and its growing economy.

“So we need all Filipinos to vote for them. It’s an online voting and you have to vote for seven new wonders to ensure that they would get included in the worldwide search for nature.

Tubbataja Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a famous national marine sanctuary in Sulu Sea. It is a popular diving site because of its renowned and globally significant biodiversity.

Its two atolls lie on the Cagayan ridge and roughly encompass 100,000 hectares of corals and over a thousand species of marine life.

Bohol’s Chocolate Hills—which are scattered in the towns of Carmen, Butuan, and Sagbayan—is famous for its dome-shaped grass covered limestone hills that turn brown in summer when the hills dry up.

These almost uniform 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills, mostly between 30 to 50 meters high, are considered among the National Geological Monuments of the country due to their scientific value and geographic uniqueness.

To date, Tubbataha is now ranked seventh, the Chocolate Hills in Bohol is Number 9, and the Underground River in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan is Number 20 in the Top 77 Live Rankings of the worldwide online poll for the Seven New Wonders of the World.

Popularity: 17% [?]