UNERGROUND RIVER
Winner of the national qualifiers category, the renowned Palawan Underground River, will be the Philippines' bet in the New7Wonders of Nature race.
Results of the first phase of voting in the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign were revealed at the New7Wonders Foundation headquarters.
Tourism Secretary Joseph 'Ace' Durano, said "We are proud to announce that the Philippine marvels have stood strong in the first round of voting. This affirms us of the support of Filipinos as well as other tourists in helping our natural sites make their mark in the global scale."
Recently awarded for his efforts and advocacy in ecological tourism, he added, "With billions of supporters all over the globe, promotion of spectacular sites from all over the world has been set to greater heights. It is also very important to call on the sustainable promotion of these tourism sites, which are nature's blessings."
The first stage of the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign officially ended with the old year. At midnight on December 31, 2008 on the International Date Line, all voting was suspended on the New7Wonders website.
Tia Viering, Head of Communications for New7Wonders, says, "We congratulate the successful qualifying locations from the Philippines, Palawan Underground River, and wish them the best of luck in the second phase of voting."
She added, "We also at this time highlight the strong and enthusiastic participation of the other national nominees that are not proceeding — many have already benefited from a significant increase in worldwide awareness, which, in itself, is a recognized important benefit for all involved in the New7Wonders campaigns."
According to the Foundation, these magnificent natural sites are amongst the 261 nominees now one step closer to potentially being chosen one of the Official New7Wonders of Nature by the people of the world.
"The Philippines' wonders, the Palawan Underground River, besting the others truly give us more reasons to strengthen not only the promotion, but the preservation of our natural sites," Eduardo Jarque, Jr., Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions remarked.
Jarque further said, "The New7Wonders campaign, gaining participation from numerous supporters will inevitably translate to increased interest in seeing these magnificent places. We thank and congratulate all Filipinos who have made their voice heard through the online polls."
The Philippines' Underground River shares the spotlight with the Coral Triangle, a multinational participant.
Spanning eastern Indonesia, parts of Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands, the Coral Triangle is the global center of marine biodiversity and one of the world's top priorities for marine conservation.
Of the original 441 nominees, 180, or more than 40 percent, were eliminated as the next stage begins today until July 7, to select the Top 77 - the pool from which the 21 Official Finalists are chosen.
The qualified 261 national and multinational nominees from the 222 participating countries feature iconic locations such as the Grand Canyon, Loch Ness, the Black Forest, and Mount Fuji, alongside the Amazon, the Danube, the Dead Sea, the Great Barrier Reef, Iguazu Falls, the Kalahari Desert, Mont Blanc, and Niagara Falls, in addition to the Palawan Underground River.
As in the original successful campaign that chose the Official New7Wonders of the World, thanks to more than 100 million votes, the N7W Panel of Experts will select the 21 Finalists from the top 77, which will be announced on July 21, 2009.
At that time, the third and final phase of voting will begin, and the people of the world will then have approximately two years to vote amongst the 21 Finalists for the Official New7Wonders of Nature, to be revealed in 2011. Over one billion votes are forecasted. Best of luck to the Palawan Underground River!
Puerto Princesa Underground River
Palawan is popularly known as
The Last Frontier . It is the largest province in the Philippines that lies between the South China Sea and Sulu Sea. Among all other things that Palawan is very well known, its 8.2 kilometer underground river in Puerto Princesa City which is one of the best destinations now being promoted by the Department of Tourism (DOT). A world-class destination, the Subterranean River National Park is recognized as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.
Puerto Princesa Palawan
Palawan river (Photo by Ric Gonzales)
Every year, thousands of tourists visit Puerto Princesa City to experience the river boat cruise at the underground river. The cool temperature, calm and clear waters, extraordinary rock formations and rare fauna are only few of the attractions of the place. Meanwhile, Palawan is also known for its century old mangroves. I just wish I could visit the province soon. It is one of the places in my country that I have yet to see.
The Small Lagoon - El Nido, Palawan
CORON PALAWAN
About Coron, Palawan
Last year National Geographic named the island as the best island destination in the whole of South East Asia and the 13th best island destination in the world. This is some feat considering the wealth of tropical islands in the region. The potential of the tourism industry in Palawan has been recognized as one of the highest in the world, so much so that Banyan Tree Holdings will be investing an estimated $70 - $270 million to develop 2 hotels in the region, with a view to creating a market presence on a similar scale to that of Thailand.
The Master Plan of the Philippine government involves an investment of P15.4 billion in Northern Palawan for tourism, environmental management and infrastructure for the next 10 years. An eco-tourism study conducted by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) projects that Palawan needs 5,600 rooms by 2010.
Palawan is within easy reach of major Asian cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila and Shanghai. Major infrastructure development has been started. A modern terminal at the YKA
Staying over at Crystal Lodge
It was Ferdz who took care of our reservations a week before the trip. We initially planned on booking at Sea Dive Resort, a popular place to stay because they have air-conditioning. But we ended up staying at Crystal Lodge.
Photo by Gail dela Cruz-Villanueva
Photo by Gail dela Cruz-VillanuevaThe nipa-hut style cottages are nicely situated along the seashore on stilts. So you have a nice view of the sea and the islands across. Very beautiful. There are mangroves as you walk along the narrow passage made of old, cranky wooden planks. One wrong step and you can find yourself swimming with the little fishes underneath. The whole place is somewhat primitive and that what makes it so beautiful. It was as if we were living in a fishing community together with the
Coronians (better known as the local people of Coron, Palawan). Crystal Lodge does not have air-conditioning but the rooms and hang-out areas are very cool and breezy all the time. It was so peaceful and relaxing over at Crystal Lodge. At times, we would just sit around a bamboo bench and wonder how we could stop time so we can stay longer in this island paradise.
Coron, Palawan, named one of the Top 10 dive sites in the world by
Forbes Traveler, ranks among Philippine destinations that we can truly call paradise. It's no doubt a world-class diving destination! But Coron is not just about diving. And the past few days that I've been here, Coron has not failed to impress. Here are some tips to help you plan your Coron trip.
To get to Coron, you could travel by air or by sea. From the Coron Port, you could easily get a tricycle to the center of town. But the Busuanga Airport is another story.
There are several airlines that fly to Busuanga. The Busuanga Airport is about 30 minutes away from Coron. Unless you've pre-arranged pick-up with your hotel, you might have no choice but to hire a van to take you to Coron which is about Php1,500.
Like in most of my trips, I just walked out of the airport and asked around. It turns out, there is are shuttles which you could take for Php150/head that drops you off at your hotel in Coron. If you still don't have a hotel, you can ask help from the driver.
I went around and here is a list of some of the hotels I liked. We decided to stay at Seadive Resort since it's close to the market and the center of town. Plus, if you're low on cash, they accept credit cards for rooms, food and diving services.
It's the only PADI certified dive center in Coron and the only resort in Palawan with a certified recompression chamber. That's why it's rated
Gold Palm 5 Star by PADI. They have a good restaurant, plus many of the best restaurants in Coron are just a few meters away. Rooms start at Php400 for Fan Rooms with common bathroom to Php1,400 for the Deluxe Room.
Busuanga Seadive Resort
+63 920 9458714
+63 918 4000448
A few hundred meters away, along the National Highway and close to the town plaza are other good options for accommodation. Coron Village Lodge and Darayonan Lodge are beside each other. While Princess of Coron is a few meters inside. But they have some of the better rooms and a swimming pool too.
Coron Village Lodge
+63 2 8053414
+63 928 2020819
+63 918 2887940
+63 916 4200252
Darayonan Lodge
+63 909 2310222
Princess of Coron
+63 919 4095548
The best hotel in town is no doubt the Coron Gateway Hotel which is right beside the market. The spacious and luxurious rooms however aren't cheap but definitely worth the extra pesos. In fact, the bathrooms alone are bigger than some hotel rooms in Coron! Each room is a Junior Suite. Those with one queen bed cost Php3,500. Those with two queen beds cost Php5,500. While the Presidential Suite, complete with living room and kitchen are Php7,500 a night. But being a new hotel, they still don't accept credit cards. So you'll have to bring a lot of cash.
Coron Gateway Hotel
+63 2 8877107
+63 48 7231659
+63 921 7232456
+63 929 7955049
Getting around Coron and the nearby islands is very easy since there are a lot of pump boats for hire. While the Calamian Tourist Boat Association has standard rates, they may vary depending on the season, your haggling capabilities and the condition of the sea (since larger boats may be needed if the waters are not as calm as they should be).
But to give you an idea, there are three different rates depending on the size of the boat which could accommodate 1 to 5, 6 to 8, and 10 to 15 persons respectively. Here are some of the suggested rates for the small boats which could accommodate 1 to 5 people:
Coron Island and vicinity - Php1,500
Culion Island - Php2,500 (Php3,000 is still a good price)
Malcapuya/Banana/Malaroyroy - Php2500 (Although I haven't found anyone who would agree to this rate. It's usually Php3,000 to 3,500)
Calumbuyan Island - Php3,000
Calauit Island - Php7,500
Tricycles rates start at Php8 per head. But if you'll hire one for
Maquinit Hot Spring, it would cost you up to Php300 round-trip since they'll wait for you there. More Coron adventures coming up.
