PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will not allow the operations of resorts nor the construction of casinos on Boracay Island during the six-month closure of the island, MalacaƱang said on Tuesday, April 10.
"Boracay (is) closed to tourists and no casinos in Boracay. Period," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a statement.
His reaction was in response to the plan of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to file a resolution seeking to investigate the order to close Boracay.
Duterte on April 4 greenlighted the recommendation of the inter-agency task force on Boracay to shut down all establishments on the island and close it to visitors to pave the way for its rehabilitation.
Trillanes, however, suspected that the President's latest move was meant to give way to the construction of a $500-million resort-casino in Boracay.
It was earlier reported that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. issued a provisional gaming license to Macau's Galaxy Entertainment Group and its local partner, Leisure and Resorts Wold Corp.
But in a pre-departure interview in Davao City on Monday, April 9, Duterte said he would not allow any casino projects in Boracay, as he intends to make the island a "land reform area."
"There's no plan for casino. Far from it actually. I never said building anything or even a nipa hut there. What I said is that island itself is owned by the government," Duterte said.
"Consider Boracay a land reform area. I will give it to the farmers. Why would I put up a casino there? What will Filipinos get from there?" he added.
Boracay, a top island destination globally, is reeling from sewage, waste management, water pollution and other environmental problems.
The island received over 2 million visitors last year and earned about P56 million in tourism receipts. (SunStar Philippines)