The subterranean river in Puerto Princesa, Palawan is listed among the top 77 of the New7Wonders of Nature campaign, and Filipinos have less than one week left to vote to qualify the country’s underground river to the 21 finalists of the New7Wonders list.

From the top 77 nominees chosen by worldwide popular voting, 21 finalists would be chosen by the New7Wonders Panel of Experts, under the leadership of Prof. Federico Mayor, former Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

As of December 24, the live ranking in the website of the New7Wonders showed the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is currently at the number 1 spot, followed by Ha Long Bay of Vietnam, Tubbataha Reef also located in Palawan, Cox’s Bazar Beach in Bangladesh, Chocolate Hills in Bohol, Al-hasa Oasis in Saudi Arabia, Ganges River in Bangladesh and India, Sundarbans Forest in the border of Bangladesh and India, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Vietnam and the Fansipan Mountain also in Vietnam.

Albay’s Mayon Volcano is ranked at number 11, while the Hundred Islands in Pangasinan is placed at number 28.

The expert panel would choose only the Official Supported Nominees, with the organizational backing of a dedicated Official Supporting Committee.

Although the Philippines has more than one nominee, the committee stated that “only one national nominee per country, the highest ranked on 31 December 2008, will be eligible to proceed into 2009.”

During the 2007 New7Wonders of Nature campaign, the panel had to choose just 21 potential wonders from among the 77 candidates which attracted the most votes throughout the campaign at the end of 2005.

“The choice of the international experts was based on the architectural and cultural importance, as well as the beauty of the monuments and structures,” the New7Wonders committee said in their website.

The New7Wonders committee said that between January 1 and 7, all voting on their website would be on hold as the results would be calculated and verified.

To vote, log on to http://www.new7wonders.com/c1/. The New7Wonders of Nature would be announced in late 2010.