PPUR Officially Included in the New7Wonders

The people of Palawan and the whole Philippines are glad to hear the news that the Puerto Princesa Underground River, or PPUR, is officially included in the new seven wonders of nature. This news was announced by New7Wonders founder and president, Bernard Weber in a meeting in Manila. Included in the meeting are Puerto Princesa City Mayor Ed Hagedorn, New7Wonders Director Jean-Paul de la Fuente and PPUR campaign director Nardz Villafranca.

In November last year, PPUR was listed in the New7Wonders provisional list, which made some people think that PPUR might still be removed when the “New Seven Wonders of Nature” is announced. The announcement made by Weber finally removed those doubts.
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Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR).

Vigorous Campaigns for PPUR

The inclusion of PPUR to the final list of seven wonders is the result of the vigorous campaigns made by the government and the private sector. Various national government agencies, like the DENR and the DOT lead the campaign for the PPUR. Telecommunication companies provided the prize money for the “PPUR May Pera sa Kweba” text raffle contest.

Puerto Princesa Mayor Ed Hagedorn, President Noynoy Aquino, and showbiz celebrities also helped in promoting the PPUR to the public.

Big Help to Philippine Tourism

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is confident that the inclusion of PPUR to the seven wonders will boost the country’s tourism. The New7Wonders campaign is an international campaign that gave PPUR a worldwide exposure. DOT hopes that the tourists attracted by the PPUR will also be attracted to other tourist spots of the Philippines.

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Info for this post obtained from GMA News.

Good News: PPUR Among the 7 New Wonders

The online and TV campaigns done by the Philippine government paid off as the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) was included in the provisional list of the New7Wonders Foundation. Other nature spots included in the New7Wonders provisional list are the Amazon Rainforest, Halong Bay (Vietnam), Iguazu Falls (Argentina), Jeju Island (South Korea), Table Mountain (South Africa).

New7Wonders foundation cited that the given list is provisional. Voting calculation is still being checked and the final list will be announced in 2012 during the Official Inauguration ceremonies. This announcement made by the New7Wonders foundation still places the PPUR and other nature spots in uncertain position because it is not known how the voting calculation will affect the results.

The New7Wonders Foundation is a Swiss foundation founded in 2001 by the filmmaker Bernard Zurich. New7Wonders was inspired by the “7 Wonders of the Ancient World” attributed to Philon of Byzantium.

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Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR).

The New7Wonders list started with 440 nature spots located in about 220 countries. The list was trimmed to 77 then to 28 by a panel of experts. Worldwide poll was then opened for the shortlist of 28 nature spots.  Anyone in the world was allowed to vote via telephone, text messaging and online social networks.

The Philippine government and the City Government of Puerto Princesa had been campaigning vigorously for PPUR in the past months. The aim is to boost the tourism industry in Palawan and give more exposure to PPUR.

The Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and other national government agencies participated in promoting the PPUR for the New7Wonders list. Three telecommunication companies; Globe, Smart, and Sun; showed their support by offering 25 million pesos prize in the grand raffle draw for those who will vote PPUR via text.

Puerto Princesa mayor Ed Hagedorn is confident that PPUR will be included in the New7Wonders list days before the provisional was revealed. He said that other contenders doesn't have text messaging campaigns unlike the one in PPUR. He believes that this is the advantage of PPUR over other contenders in the New7Wonders.

Well, it seems like being the texting capital of the world has an advantage after all.

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Image of PPUR came from Puerto Princesa government website.

Coron Resorts

Coron is a municipality in Palawan Province and is composed of many islands. The main part of the town of Coron is on the southeastern half of Busuanga Island. Being a town that is composed of many islands makes it a good place for beaches and good resorts. Coron is popular for its clear seas, pristine beaches and untouched environment. I am hoping to reach Coron in the future just to see the beautiful things that it offers.

As for now, I will content myself in giving a list of three Coron Resorts.

1. KokosNuss Garden Resort

This is a Coron Resort that has a weird sounding name. But when you consider the fact that it KokosNuss Garden Resort is owned by two Germans, then you will see why the reason for the name. This Coron Resort is located on a hill about a kilometer away from the poblacion or center of Coron town. As the name implies, visitors of this Coron Resort will experience the relaxing ambiance of being in the middle of garden.

This Coron Resort have nipa huts as amenities for its visitors. This Coron resort has a garden restaurant where visitors can enjoy local, Asian and European cuisine.

2. El Rio y Mar Resort

Another Coron resort is El Rio y Mar Resort. This Coron resort is located about 30 minutes from the Busuanga Airport. The resort has an outdoor pool, billiard tables and massage areas. Visitors to this Coron can enjoy fishing and sailing. The rooms in this resort can only accommodate maximum of two persons. This Coron resort offers an airport shuttle for its visitors.

3. Club Paradise Resort Palawan

This Coron resort has 52 rooms available for its guests. Club Paradise Resort Palawan offers ballroom dancing, beach volleyball and billiard tables. This Coron resorts also has conference rooms that is suitable for out-of-town forums or seminars.

Aside from the normal amenities, this Coron resort also offers tours to Coron Island and Caluit Island. The resort is also good for diving enthusiasts because it offers diving facilities for its guests.

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Information regarding KokosNuss Garden Resort obtained from Tours Palawan. Information on El Rio y Mar Resort obtained from Google Maps.