Go online, vote for Philippine tourism sites in www.new7wonders.com

Cheering Filipinos on to vote for all four Philippine tourist destinations listed in www.new7wonders.com, Senator Richard J. Gordon said 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 seven thousand 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 two million a year through various promotional efforts – one of the more popular being the Wow Philippines campaign.

"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 website, 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 of its destruction and decay.

As of June 1, 2008 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 Subterranen River National Park ranks 8th and Bicol Region's Mayon Volcano