Philippines proud to have four of its natural wonders to be chosen as 7 wonders of the world

The Philippines stands at the crossroads of the developed western world and the Orient. It lies in the heart of Southeast Asia, stretching more than 1,840 kilometers and composed of 7,107 islands.

The South China Sea washes its western shores. Taiwan, China and Hong Kong are northern neighbors and further north is Japan. To the west are Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Its unique location has made the Philippines the commercial, cultural and intellectual hub of Asia.

Far from being a mere cluster of islands on the southeastern corner of Asia, it is an archipelago blessed with an endless array of landscapes. It brims with beaches, forests, mountains, plains, cliffs, caves, marshes, lakes and rivers, all of its set amidst a stunning backdrop of clear blue skies and an emerald sea.

It’s only now that the Philippines experienced that four of its natural attractions has been chosen as the Seven Wonders of the World.

All you have to do is cast your vote online and presto! Your vote will be included.

The voting last June 3, 2008, have placed the Philippines in the 10 category – Tubbataha Reef, third place; Chocolate Hills, fourth; Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, seventh; and Mayon Volcano, tenth.

The overall line-up are as follows: Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, first; Cox’s Bazar Beach, second, Tubbataha Reef, third; Chocolate Hills, fourth; Ganges River, Bangladesh/India, fifth; Mount Everest, Nepal, sixth; Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, seventh; Amazon River/Forest, Bolivia,/Brazil/Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/Venezuela-South America, eight; Mount Fuji, Mountain, Japan, ninth; and Mayon Volcano, Philippines, tenth.

Tubbataha Reef Natural Park (TRNP) lies in the middle of the Sulu Sea and falls under the jurisdiction of Cagayancillo, an island municipality situated 130 km. to the north. The Reef is 150 km. south-east of Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan.

It is a coral reef composed of two atolls, north and south reefs. Each reef has a single small islet that protrudes from the water. The atolls are separated by a deep channel eight kilometers wide.

The coral atolls of Tubbataha began to form thousands of years ago as fringing reefs of volcanic islands along the Cagayan Ridge. Over millennia, as the volcanoes became extinct and the islands sunk into the ocean depths, only the corals remained, as they continue to grow upwards towards the sunlight.

After more than 20 years of conservation efforts, the TRNP is home to no less than 483 species of fish, 396 species of corals (about half of the species in the world), 44 species of birds, nine species of dolphins and whales, and nesting Hawksbill and Green sea turtles.

The Chocolate Hills are probably Bohol’s most famous attractions. They look like giant mole hills, or some say, women’s breasts.

The Chocolate Hills consist of no less than 1,268 hills. They are very uniform in shape and mostly between 30 and 50 meters high. They are scattered throughout the towns of Carmen, Batuan and Baclayon.

The unique landform was formed two million years ago by the uplift of coral deposits and the action of rainwater and erosion. They are covered with grass, which, at the end of the dry season, turns chocolate brown, thus, the name “Chocolate Hills.”

Two of the 1,268 mounds have been developed into a resort. On top of the first hill are two youth hostels with a conference room, cozy cottages, a swimming pool and a tennis court.

On top of the second hill is an observation deck with 215 concrete steps. Once on top, one can view the exquisite panorama of God’s wondrous creations spread below as far as the eyes can see.

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) is located about 50 km. north of Puerto Princesa and was inscribed to the World Heritage List.

It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites and several large chambers.

The lower half of the river is brackish and is affected by the ocean’s tides. An underground river that flows directly to the ocean and the associated tidal influence makes it one of the most unique natural phenomena of its kind to exist. It is said to be the longest navigable underground river in the world.

At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water’s edge.

Beautifully symmetrical Mayon Volcano, which rises to 2,462 meters above the Albay Gulf, is the Philippines’ most active volcano. The structurally simple volcano has steep upper slopes averaging 35-40 degrees that are capped by a small summit crater.

It is classified by volcanologists as a stratovolcano (composite volcano) Its symmetric cone was formed through alternate pyroclastic and lava forms

Since 1616, Mayon has erupted 47 times. In 1814, it killed more than 1,200 people and devastated several towns. The most recent eruption, in 1993, began unexpectedly with an explosion. The initial eruption lasted only 30 minutes but it generated pyroclastic flows that killed 68 people and prompted the evacuation of 60,000 others.