Text brigade urged for Vigan’s wonders bid

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is calling on Filipinos to use their texting power once again and put Vigan, the country’s heritage city, on the New 7 Wonders list.

“As we supported Puerto Princesa in the past competition, let us continue to support Vigan, one of the most beautiful cities in the country,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said over radio station dzRB yesterday.

“Let us put the monicker for the
Philippines, such as texting capital and selfie capital of the world, to good use and support Vigan,” she said.

With its cobblestone roads, ancestral houses and well-preserved 18th century buildings, Vigan City in Ilocos Sur has been hailed time and again as one of the country’s best destinations.

Based on an Oct. 17 post on choosephilippines.com urging people to vote for Vigan, the city was listed in 1999 as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is now on its way to becoming one of the New 7 Wonders Cities.

Contenders for this spot started with more than 1,200 nominees from more than 220 countries in 2012. Qualified cities were shortlisted into a selection of 28 candidates in 2013. By October last year, Vigan had gone through three phases of voting – from 28, to 21, and then, finally, to the most recent set of 14.

“Anyone who has fallen in love with the city can vouch for Vigan through the Global Voting Website and make the beautiful destination one of the Official New7Wonders Cities. Other voting platforms are also available: iPhone and Android apps, international telephone voting lines and national SMS (short messaging system or text),” the post read.

Deadline of voting is on Dec. 7. The Official New7Wonders Cities, chosen by hundreds of millions of votes from around the world, will be revealed thereafter.

The New7Wonders Cities is the third global vote organized by New7Wonders and follows the successful New7Wonders of the World and New7Wonders of Nature campaigns.

“New7Wonders Cities will be a forum for discussing everything from urban planning to metropolitan governance, from tourism to architecture,” said Bernard Weber, founder and president of New7Wonders.

The other 13 finalists, in alphabetical order, are: Barcelona (Spain), Beirut (Lebanon), Chicago (United States), Doha (Qatar), Durban (South Africa), Havana (Cuba), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), La Paz (Bolivia), London (United Kingdom), Mexico City (Mexico), Perth (Australia), Quito (Ecuador) and Reykjavik (Iceland).