86 Sarah Webb
PPSRNP is certainly not unique within Palawan province. The exclusion of local
residents from many of the benefits of ecotourism has raised the question of
whether what is labeled “eco” tourism on Palawan is better understood as tourism
of the environment rather than tourism that is “environmental” (Alampay and
Libosada 2005, pp. 127–31; Eder 2008, p. 151; Fabinyi 2010, p. 422). What these
politics of ecotourism suggest is that the ways places such as the Underground
River are imagined by some to potentially contribute to the environmental and
economic prosperity of the Philippines is often very different to the experiences
of many who do live (or have lived) adjacent to these sites.
Voting for a wondrous nature
The PPUR has long been described as a “Cave of Wonders” within national
discourses (Sablan 2003). However, more recently the Underground River has
became branded as a Philippine “Wonder of Nature” through inauguration of the
site within a Swiss-based international competition. During 2011, local government
and business efforts to promote the site as one of the N7WN gained the support of
the Philippine president (Figure 6.2). Through the resulting campaign to secure a
Philippine title in the voter-determined competition, the Underground River became
the focus of vast text and Internet voting endeavors—and a subject of not only
Palawan but also Filipino pride. Many of the promotional activities surrounding the
campaign targeted support in urban centers, often outside of Palawan and even the
Philippines—especially through the encouragement of Overseas Foreign Workers
to vote. President Benigno S. Aquino requested all government employees to
support the campaign and appointed a national task force to support the endeavor
(Proclamation no. 182). The dominant branding of the billboards and banners
(coming from both official promotions, and adopted by supporting businesses)
centered on the Underground River eventually becoming the “lone Philippine
entry” in the competition, and as such, a source of “national pride”.
The campaign was incredibly productive—not only in terms of generating votes
for the PPUR as an entry within the N7WN competition, but also in promoting the
Underground River more broadly. Filipinos who had spent small amounts of time in
very specific parts of Palawan—and those who had never visited Palawan at all—
were curating images and meanings of Palawan nature via text, blogs, social media,
and everyday conversations. While some companies and agencies produced printed
or digital banners to demonstrate their support of the campaign and prompt voting,
others began to promote their own business by using images of the entrance to the
PPUR as the backdrop to websites and signage. The Underground River’s virtual
and visual presence within Metro Manila increased through a plethora of images
displayed in offices, malls, and airports and circulated through computers, tablets,
and mobile phones (see also Dressler 2011). Support of voting for the Underground
River in the N7WN campaign was further encouraged by phone carrier “promos”,
particularly a lottery called Pera sa Kweba! (money in the cave). This lottery was
referenced in billboards (such as the one depicted in Figure 6.3) that suggested that
when Filipinos stand together and vote, everyone can win.