Justice Secretary: Make it legal
Reaffirming his ban on casino development on the island of Boracay, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte added that he does not have to issue an executive order to back it up.
According to a November 7 report from the Philippine News Agency, Duterte said during a visit to the island that there’s no need for him to “really be writing something.” Duterte said he told Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año to enforce the ban on casinos on Boracay, which just reopened to tourism after a six-month environmental cleanup.
According to GGRAsia, Duterte said casinos can lead to crimes such as illegal drug trading, kidnapping and extortion. He also warned businesspeople on the island not to try to sidestep his edict. “If I were the owner of the hotel, I should not be speculating as to what will happen to me if I defy the government,” he said.
But in an October letter, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said an executive order would be the “the issuance of an EO would be the most expedient and effective means of halting the operation of casinos and implementing a no-casino policy in Boracay. Anything less than an EO would appear more transitory and would water down the President’s understandably steadfast desire to disassociate Boracay Island with big-business gambling.”
He added that an executive order “sets long-term policy and provides formal framework for all governmental actions on the matter.”
The latest pronouncement seems to put to rest plans by Macau casino operator Galaxy Entertainment Group to develop a $500 million casino on the island, though the company announced in March that it has been licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., the state-run regulatory body.
Galaxy Entertainment’s partner in the proposed venture was Leisure and Resorts World Corp. subsidiary AB Leisure Exponent Inc.
