DILG mobilizes its RIOs to heighten PPUR N7WN campaign among LGUs

By DILG Office of Public Affairs
August 1, 2011

PUERTO PRINCESA  –  The Department of the Interior and Local Government has mobilized its 16 Regional Information Officers (RIOs) to enjoin and heighten the various local government units’ awareness in the government’s campaign to vote for the Puerto Princesa Underground River as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature (PPUR N7WN).

DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo said the DILG RIOs and other public information officers under the agency will be responsible in coordinating with the governors, city and municipal mayors, and the barangay chairmen in their areas of jurisdiction to prop up the campaign.

“We have to intensify and bring to the various LGU levels the PPUR N7WN campaign which will boost the country’s tourism industry and national pride. To achieve this, I need the help of all local chief executives, including the DILG RIOs and PIOs by bringing the campaign down to the masses,” the DILG Secretary said.

At least 20 DILG RIOs and PIOs under the guidance of Assistant Secretary Bob Gutierrez and DILG Office of Public Affairs chief Feliciano Regis recently underwent a three-day seminar workshop and visit to the Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan aimed to craft new strategies and approaches on how to improve further the campaign and rally the local chief executives and their constituents to support it.

Initially, the RIOs and PIOs agreed to do the rounds in various local radio stations and community papers to promote the PPUR N7WN campaign; make efforts to provide official campaign tarpaulins in every LGUs in their respective regions; encourage local chief executives to launch the text campaign “PPUR send to 2861” during their flag-raising ceremonies; and actively participate and promote the campaign among barangay officials during their national assembly to be held on the third Saturday of October this year.

The N7WN is an international polling campaign which was started in 2007 by an independent Swiss-based government-controlled foundation in an effort to identify new seven new wonders of the world – a new marketing program that would provide huge economic, social and tourism-related benefits to the winning bidder country.

The Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan is 8.2 kilometers long and was formed by nature more than 20 million years ago. Initially, the PPUR is one of the 400 locations chosen to become one of the N7WN. Being a world-renowned tourist destination, it has now reached the 7th place from among 28 other qualified candidates vying for the N7WN.

Filipinos living in the Philippines and abroad are being encouraged to support and join the country’s bid to include PPUR as one of the N7WN by voting via text message “PPUR send to 2861” or thru the Internet by logging on to www.new7wonders.com.

The campaign is being spearheaded by the DILG with Robredo as Task Force chairman and is being supported by the Departments of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources, Education, Budget and Management, Transportation and Communication, Labor and Employment, Foreign Affairs, Commission on Higher Education, Philippine Information Agency and six other private sector representatives led by Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn.

In Eastern Visayas, DILG's PPUR campaign kicked off with a simultaneous text voting and showing of an audio-visual presentation for participants of the Tapatan Roadshow on the Full Disclosure Policy last July 14. The Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO-8) under the auspices of the Philippine Information Agency in their meeting last July 25 conducted the same activity in support of the campaign.