THE Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) will be officially recognized on Saturday as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature (N7WN).

The inauguration will be held at One Esplanade in Pasay City.

Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn said the event will be held in Manila and not in Puerto Princesa City "because this is for all Filipinos and for the whole country."

President Benigno Aquino III is expected to speak before invited guests, who include all Cabinet members, top officials from the six other countries that made it to the N7WN, among others.

Aquino is likewise expected to unveil a 100-kilo plaque from competition organizer New Seven Wonders of Nature Foundation during the event.

The N7WN search began in 2007, drawing 440 entries from more than 220 countries.

Millions voted for the top 77, which was further narrowed down to 28 finalists for the final phase, including the 17-kilometer underground river.

PPUR is located some 50 kilometers north of the city of Puerto Princesa in Palawan Island in the Philippines.

Included in the N7WN are Argentina’s Iugazu Falls, Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest, Indonesia’s Komodo Island, South Africa’s Table Mountain, South Korea’s Jeju Island and Vietnam’s Halong Bay. (Sunnex/PNA)