Vigan among finalists in 'New 7 Wonders Cities' campaign

MANILA, Philippines - The historic city of Vigan in Ilocos Sur has been included in the shortlist for the "New 7 Wonders Cities" in the world.

Vigan, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, is the only Philippine city in the list of 28 candidates that were selected as advised by a panel of experts.

Bernard Weber, founder-president of Swiss firm New7Wonders, said the selection of the finalists is "particularly exciting in its variety."

“This outstanding shortlist of 28 cities mirrors the diversity of urban society, especially when, for the first time in history, more than half of our planet’s population lives in cities," Weber said on the New7Wonders website.

Vigan is one of the few Hispanic towns in the country and is best known for its well-preserved colonial architecture.

Like the other finalists, Vigan was selected from an initial long list of 77 voted candidates that also included the cities of Cebu and Iloilo.

The shortlisted cities will now undergo three elimination phases determined by public voting through the New7Wonders website, which will end on December 7, 2014.

The 28 finalists are (in alphabetical order):

Athens, Greece
Bangkok, Thailand
Barcelona, Spain
Beirut, Lebanon
Casablanca, Morocco
Chicago, USA
Doha, Qatar
Durban, South Africa
Havana, Cuba
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Istanbul, Turkey
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kyoto, Japan
La Paz, Bolivia
London, United Kingdom
Mendoza, Argentina
Mexico City, Mexico
Mumbai, India
Perth, Australia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Prague, Czech Republic
Quito, Ecuador
Reykjavik, Iceland
St. Petersburg, Russia
Seoul, South Korea
Shenzhen, China
Vancouver, Canada
Vigan, Philippines