Manila - The City Council of Manila is urging the public to support the campaign for the inclusion of the national marine park in Palawan in the new Seven Wonders of the World.
In his resolution, Councilor Numero Lim of the second district of Manila said the Philippines may claim a place in the new Seven Wonders of the World or new seven wonders of nature if the public will vote in full force for the inclusion of the Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Life in the list.
Tubbataha is a reef ecosystem made up of two atolls in the middle of the Sulu Sea. It is a haven for diverse marine life. It is located southeast of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan and southwest of Cagayancillo, the town that exercises political jurisdiction over it.
On Aug. 11, 1988, Tubbataha was proclaimed as a National Marine Park. In 1993, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed Tubbataha in its World Heritage site.
"Making the final cut is not only prestigious but a tremendous boost and promotion for the country in terms of tourism gains," Lim said.
The councilor said as of now, Tubbataha is included in the short list of 77 sites by the organizers of the Seven Wonders Foundation, a non-profit foundation established in 2001 by Swiss-born Canadian filmmaker-author Bernard Weber.
"The reefs have the best chance to be included in the wonders of the world. It is one of the most biologically diverse coral reef systems in the world," Lim said.
Other wonders of nature nominees also from the Philippines are the Chocolate Hills, a favorite tourist attraction in Bohol, and the famous symmetrical Mayon Volcano in Albay province.
The new list of Seven Wonders of the World will be announced in January 2009.
Source: www.mb.com.ph (10 Maret 2008)
