VP Binay seeks text votes for Palawan's underground river

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Saturday urged the public to vote for the Puerto Princesa Underground River as one of the World’s New Seven Wonders of Nature. The Puerto Princesa Underground River is one of 28 finalists in the New Seven Wonders of Nature list to be determined by voters around the world. “Please encourage your relatives, friends and every concerned Filipino to vote. This is also in support of the Aquino administration’s effort to put the country in the map and bring attention to our beautiful country," Binay said in a news release posted on the Office of the Vice President (OVP) website. According to the OVP, the public may vote as many times as they want until September 25, 2011. Globe, Smart or Sun subscribers may text “PPUR 15" to 2861. The Official Declaration of the New7Wonders of Nature will be on November 11, 2011 (11.11.11), which coincides with Binay's birthday. “This is the perfect opportunity to highlight the beauty of our country and encourage the inflow of tourists," Binay said. According to the official website of the New7Wonders, the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign started in 2007, immediately after the successful drive to choose the man-made Official New 7 Wonders of the World. From December 2007 to July 7, 2009, over 440 locations from more than 220 countries were nominated through a national qualification and raced to become one of the Top 77. From the 77, the New7Wonders Panel of Experts supervised the selection of the 28 Official Candidates, which was announced on July 21, 2009. The Official New7Wonders of Nature is now in its third and final phase, wherein an estimated one billion people worldwide would vote for their chosen seven finalists. — LBG, GMA News