6 Reasons Why Puerto Princesa Underground River Should Be Part of New 7 Wonders of Nature

Underground River is the Philippines' pride and the only nominee to the  New 7 Wonders of Nature. Located in Bgy. Sabang, 81 kilometers north of the center of Puerto Princesa City in the province of Palawan, the Underground River (also known as St. Paul  or Puerto Princesa Subteranean River National Park) is indeed a true wonder of nature and God's gift to mankind. Underground River deserves, in my unbiased opinion, to be included in the the top 7 Wonders of Nature.

Entrance to the Underground River cave

The Underground River Park has total land area of 22,202 hectares in which is nestled an 8.2 kilometers navigable underground river which runs beneath the limestone karst mountain that flows directly into the South China Sea. It is the longest underground river in Asia and second longest in the world. Inside the underground river are major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers that reach up to 60m high and 120m wide.

The La Venta Geographical Association,  a highly- respected group of Italian scientists and researchers, unearthed 6 main reasons why Puerto Princesa Underground River should be included in the  New 7 Wonders of Nature.

1. Puerto Princesa Underground River represents one of the most largest and important underground estuaries of the world
2. Puerto Princesa Underground River hosts one of the most complex cave systems in the world
3. Puerto Princesa Underground River possesses very high amount of energy resulting from its unique thermal equator location, super marine climate and combination of wind, humidity and strong variable air fluxes that has the capacity to offset the effects of high-impact tourism. This characteristic makes Puerto Princesa Underground River naturally sustainable
4. Puerto Princesa Underground River contains scientifically and aesthetically unique cave formations from secondary mineral deposits not found elsewhere
5. Puerto Princesa Underground River hosts unique macro and micro cave formations that allow scientists to conduct studies on the relationship of tides and the speed of fresh water flow. These studies, which were never done before, will provide better understanding of our planet's evolution, and the most exciting reason is
6. The discovery of a 20 million year-old fossil of sirenia or sea cow in a remarkably perfect condition embedded in the walls of Underground River. The specimen found is the first in the Philippines and in this part of the world!

For more information, details and explanations about the discoveries of the La Venta Group of the Underground River, please watch the video below and  click here to visit official website of the Underground River.

Watch live streaming video from ppurtv at livestream.com

I have visited Underground River a number of times already even before it became popular to tourists and caught the attention of the world. My first visit to Underground River was in the summer of 1996 with a group of fellow student writers from Palawan State University and College Editors Guild of the Philippines Southern Tagalog chapter. At that time, Underground River was unknown to the outside world except to few adventurous tourists, but the scale of scientific research activities by the scientists and conservation efforts by the City Government of Puerto Princesa, communities, and non-government organizations were already massive. Today, Underground River has become a major tourist attraction of Puerto Princesa City, and a model for effective protected area management in the Philippines.


Show Your Support to Puerto Princesa Underground River's Bid to the  New 7 Wonders of Nature 

Please show your support for Puerto Princesa Underground River. It is now included in the top 14.  But we definitely need more of your votes to ensure that Underground River is included in the New 7 Wonders of Nature. There are 2 ways to show your support:

1. You can vote through text or SMS by texting the keywords PPUR, PPUR7 & PPUR15 and send to 2861 ( valid for Sun, Globe and Smart networks). They keyword you use will determine the number of votes you cast, e.g. PPUR is one vote, PPUR7 is seven votes, etc. The cost per SMS is 2 pesos for Sun network, and 2.50 pesos for Globe and Smart networks. This method of voting will be accepted only until September 25, 2011.

2. Another way to vote is through online voting. To vote online, you need to register a valid e-mail address. Online voting is accepted until 7PM on November 11, 2011. Click this link to vote http://www.new7wonders.com/vote-2.

Time is Limited. Vote Now and Help Us Make Puerto Princesa Underground River No. 1 in the New 7 Wonders of Nature!