PUERTO PRINCESA—“I have arrived in paradise.”

This was the reaction of New 7 Wonders of Nature (N7WN) founder and President Bernard Weber, who visited the Puerto Princesa Underground River for the first time on Saturday.

After a 40-minute cruise inside the cave, whose serene waters interact with different formations of stalactites and stalagmites, an astonished Weber told reporters “This is a diamond experience and a true masterpiece of nature.”

He also said if he were allowed to vote—“which I can’t because I’m treating every candidate fairly and I’m the president”—he would vote for the underground river.

“Every Filipino should vote for this beautiful place,” he said.

The visit ended with Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn waving the Philippine flag at the mouth of the underground river

“We won,” he said, confident that the Palawan landmark would make it to the New 7 Wonders of Nature list.

The Switzerland-based N7WN has been waging a campaign for years to promote environmental consciousness and inculcate a culture of ecological presentation worldwide.

The Puerto Princesa Underground River is bidding for the top spot of the first batch of natural wonders to be enshrined among the list of sites that deserves to be preserved, protected and defended from despoliation.

The pride of Puerto Princesa features a limestone mountain landscape with an 8.2-kilometer navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers.

The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world’s longest navigable river.

Hagedorn personally received a certificate from Weber saying the underground river is one of the top candidates among the 28 other sites around the world.

During a dinner hosted by the mayor, Hagedorn told reporters, “Words couldn’t describe the underground river; one must visit and experience it to appreciate it.”

In Photo: New 7 Wonders of Nature (N7WN) President and Founder Bernard Weber (wearing a white cap) waves the Philippine flag, accompanied by N7WN Director Jean Paul de la Fuente (in orange hat) and Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn (in black cap) as they exit the mouth of Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan on Saturday. See story below. NONIE REYES