By Venus May H. Sarmiento

THREE natural wonders of the Philippines may just make it to the world’s ‘Seven Wonders of Nature’ if we campaign and vote for them online.

Waiting to be included in the much coveted list are the Tubbataha Reef in Sulu, Chocolate Hills of Bohol and the Underground River in Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo exhorted all Filipinos here and abroad to help the government in its campaign for the three wonders to win in the search.

“It’s an online voting and you have to vote for seven new wonders to ensure that they would get included in the worldwide search for nature,” Arroyo explained.

The President said that it would be an honor for the country to have these beautiful spots become part of the seven new wonders of the world to further boost Philippine tourism and its growing economy.

Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a famous national marine sanctuary in Sulu sea. It is a popular diving site because of its renowned and globally significant biodiversity.

Bohol’s Chocolate Hills -which are scattered in the towns of Carmen, Butuan and Sagbayan - is famous for its dome-shaped, grass covered limestone hills that turn brown in summer when the hills dry up.

These almost uniform 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills, mostly between 30-50 meters high, are considered among the National Geological Monuments of the Country due to their scientific value and geographic uniqueness.

To date, Tubbataha is now ranked seventh, the Chocolate HIlls is number 9 and the Underground River is number 20 in the Top 77 Live Rankings of the worldwide online poll for the Seven New Wonders of the World.

To vote for the Philippines’ very own wonders, visit www.newsevenwonders.com (PIA-Pangasinan)