MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today expressed jubilation over the inclusion of the Historic City of Vigan in the New7Wonders Cities.
“I am happy that Vigan made it to the New7Wonders Cities. I congratulate the city government of Vigan, led by Mayor Eva Singson Medina, for its efforts and intensive campaign to make this possible,” said Legarda, who also actively campaigned for the city’s bid.
Aside from Vigan, the other winning cities are Beirut in Lebanon, Doha in Qatar, Durban in South Africa, Havana in Cuba, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and La Paz in Bolivia.
“Through this achievement, the hard work of Vigan’s government and citizens to preserve their history and promote culture while working towards sustainable development will be highlighted and hopefully emulated,” she added.
Legarda said that she hopes this would inspire Filipino communities to also work towards making their towns, cities and municipalities into habitable heritage communities like Vigan.
Vigan City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was also awarded the 2012 Best Practice for World Heritage Site Management by UNESCO.
“Vigan is an example of how communities should work to be aware of their heritage, which should be appreciated, preserved and properly utilized to achieve meaningful and sustainable progress,” Legarda concluded.
