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PINOY
online power is getting the credit for the steady
rankings—with one inching up from third to second—of
four Philippine sites in the top 10 list of the ongoing
“New Seven Wonders of Nature” search.
Sen.
Pia Cayetano noted that as of Monday, four local bets
have secured top 10 slots in the prestigious search:
Tubbataha Reef of Palawan (No. 2), Chocolate Hills of
Bohol (No. 4), Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
Natural Park (No. 6), also of Palawan, and Mayon Volcano
of Bicol (No.10).
Last
week Tubbataha had climbed to third, and the
Subterranean River Park, from 8th to 6th. Tubbataha’s
further climb to second indicates Filipinos’ strong
online power.
Filipinos were urged to vote online last week by Sen.
Richard Gordon in order to sustain the rankings of the
four Philippine sites and help Mayon Volcano, acclaimed
for its perfect cone shape, push up to the “top seven”
list.
Cayetano
hailed what she called “Pinoy online power” here and
abroad, and the critical role played by local
governments, environmentalists and nongovernment
organizations for encouraging more Filipinos and even
foreigners to vote for the Philippine nominees.
“I hope
this strong show of support is reflective of a deeper
appreciation of our responsibilities as a people not
only to promote but also to save our natural resources
from various threats,” said Cayetano, who chairs the
Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
The
complete top ten rankings as of June 9, 2008 (4:00 GMT),
are as follows: 1. Ha Long Bay – Vietnam – Asia; 2.
Tubbataha Reef – Philippines – Asia; 3. Cox’s Bazar,
Beach – Bangladesh – Asia; 4. Chocolate Hills –
Philippines – Asia; 5. Ganges River – Bangladesh/India –
Asia; 6. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National
Park – Philippines -Asia; 7. Mount Everest- Nepal-Asia;
8. Amazon
River/Forest-Bolivia/Brazil/Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/Venezuela-South
America; 9. Mount Fuji-Japan-Asia; and 10. Mayon
Volcano-Philippines-Asia.
The
search for the “Seven Wonders of Nature” is organized by
the nonprofit New Seven Wonders Foundation, which also
undertook the “New Seven Wonders of the World” search
last year.
The
search is meant to create public awareness and
contribute to the protection of the world’s natural
heritage and foster respect for cultural diversity.
The
list of nominees and the mechanics for voting are posted
on the poll’s official web site www.new7wonders.com,
while the live rankings may be viewed at
http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/liveranking.
Filipinos may still vote online for the Philippine bets
until December 31, 2008, after which the top 77 nominees
will be submitted to a panel of experts that will put
together a shortlist of 21 finalists by January 2009.
A second
round of popular voting for the 21 finalists will then
follow until the end of 2009, with the top 7 nominees
being officially declared the new “Seven Wonders of
Nature” by year 2010. |
