President Arroyo to visit “Underground River”

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, April 28 -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is expected to visit the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSNRP), famously known as “Underground River”, sometime July this year to promote the inclusion of the said national park in the search for the New Seven.

This was disclosed by Mayor Edward Hagedorn, noting the President Arroyo is eager to visit the city’s major tourist attraction this July.

”President Arroyo fully supports the inclusion of Underground River, Tubbataha Reef and Chocolate Hills to include in the search of new seven wonders”, he said, referring to his talk with the President over the weekend.

Hagedorn, along with Gov. Joel T. Reyes and Rep. Abraham Khalil Mitra talked to the Chief Executive after she went diving in world-renowned Tubbataha, some 92 nautical miles from the city in the middle of the Sulu Sea.

During her visit to the national park, he said the President will also inaugurate portion of concreted road projects leading to sitio Sabang, barangay Cabayugan where the longest navigable underground river is located.

Hagedorn said Arroyo had released P100 million for the road construction, but it need more funds to complete the project.

He said that critical road portions were already concreted, but the 50-kilometer road from barangay Salvacion to sitio Sabang requires almost P500 million to fully complete the concreting of road.

”It costs almost P10 million for every kilometer”, said Hagedorn, adding that this is due to increasing price of cement and other construction materials.

Meanwhile, Hagedorn joined the President in urging Filipinos in the country and abroad to push for the inclusion of three nature sites in the ongoing search.

In a flag-raising ceremony Monday morning, the city official called on City Hall employees and department heads to rally their support, not only Underground River, but also Tubbataha and Chocolate Hills.

As of press time, Tubbataha ranks 8th, while Underground River has continued to improve rankings, occupying the 63th position.