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CHEERING
Filipinos on to vote for all four Philippine tourist
destinations listed in
www.new7wonders.com,
Sen. Richard Gordon said Tuesday that this is one
contest where Filipinos all around the world can
participate in and where victory is practically
assured. The senator noted that the odds are stacked
strongly in the country’s favor, having more than 7,000
beautiful and tourist-friendly islands.
“We are
quite happy to have learned today that two Philippine
tourist destinations are currently among the top rankers
of the online campaign for the 7 New Wonders of the
World, and we have two more tourist destinations just a
few votes outside the top seven. We urge every Filipino
everywhere to go online and vote for all four of our
tourist destinations in the 7 New Wonders of the World.
Let’s make it four for four!” said Gordon, who, as
tourism secretary from 2002 to 2004, led the country to
attain tourist arrivals of 2 million a year through
various promotional efforts—one of the more popular
being the Wow Philippines campaign.
As of
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, the top seven rankers in the
campaign included Tubbataha Reef, which occupied third
place, followed by Bohol’s Chocolate Hills in fourth
place. Palawan’s Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
National Park had moved up to sixth place from eighth
place on June 1; and Bicol region’s Mayon Volcano was
still tenth.
“This is
certainly one more way to help speed up the growth of
Philippine tourism, which is our surest hope of
providing our people with the means to raise people out
of poverty and give them back their pride. We can beg
oil and power companies for lower prices all day or
argue for the scrapping of taxes, but the real-way
solution for our people’s consumer-price woes is to
focus on creating more income-earning opportunities.
Tourism has the capacity to provide such a wealth of
opportunities directly to our countrymen and we’ve seen
many times over that where tourism advances, poverty
retreats,” said Gordon.
Gordon
also underscored the importance of ensuring the passage
of his Tourism Bill, which, along with the establishment
of Tourism Enterprise Zones throughout the country, also
provides funding support and incentives for the
development of tourism related industries.
“Along
with the enactment of the tourism bill, we must revive
efforts to open the Naia 3 terminal, as well as ensure
funding support for the upgrading of our country’s
airports. Particular attention must be given to
provinces like Palawan, especially now that it has
caught the world’s eye through the 7 Wonders Campaign,”
said Gordon.
According to its web site, the New7Wonders Foundation,
which is behind the New7Wonders campaigns, has the
express aim of undertaking documentation and
conservation works of monuments worldwide under the
motto: “OUR HERITAGE IS OUR FUTURE.” The foundation
hopes that through film, television, the Internet and
books, people shall be sensitized to the beauty of the
world’s heritage, both man-made and natural, and be
alerted to hold back its destruction and decay. |
