Could project be revived after cleanup?
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said last week that there are no plans to bring a casino resort to the island of Boracay, as previously reported.
Following a planned six-month rehabilitation of the holiday destination, Duterte said the land will go to the “people who need it most,” local residents who include farmers.
“That is an announcement. It will be a land reform area,” Duterte said. “I’m sorry, but that is the law. The law said it is forestry and agricultural. Why would I deviate from that?” He reportedly added, “I don’t have plans there for casinos. There are enough, there are too many. Casino here, casino there.”
The president’s position comes as a surprise in light of recent news that Boracay officials had gotten behind the proposed $500 million casino, to be developed by Macau operator Galaxy Entertainment Group and local partner Leisure Resorts World Corp project. The operator reportedly was granted a provisional license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) for an integrated resort project in Barangay Manoc-Manoc.
No public hearings were held about the project, and critics were angry to see photos showing Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores and Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling in Macau, reportedly as guests of Galaxy. Clergy including Kalibo Bishop Jose Corazon Tala-oc said casinos “destroy the moral fiber” of families and lead to crime. He had promised to hold prayer rallies to show opposition to the project. Have his prayers been answered?
Maybe not. According to ABS-CBN News, Duterte actually said no casinos would be built on Boracay “while it is closed for cleaning.” The island, known for its white-sand beaches, will close for six months starting April 26 for environmental remediation.
The Philippine Star reported that overdevelopment left the island strewn with garbage with rutted dirt roads, flooded gutters, unfinished civic projects, poor traffic control and a “huge sewage problem.”
Galaxy Entertainment Group had estimated that the new casino could bring in US$100 million in annual revenue to the island. Construction was set to start next year and finish in 2022. Galaxy Entertainment Chairman Francis Lui promised the resort would create “hundreds” of jobs and bring in international “high-end customers.”
LRWC founder Alfredo Benitez, who is also a Philippine lawmaker, said Galaxy Entertainment will be sensitive to environmental concerns, building a “low-rise” eco-friendly development.
The Star reports that the plan to close Boracay has upset businesspeople and workers on the island who are concerned about their livelihoods, especially since they have less than a month to prepare.
Duterte told islanders who will be affected by the closure that his government would release funds amounting to P2 billion (US$38.4 million) in aid to help them.
While there is still some uncertainty about the fate of the casino project, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque seemed to speak definitively when he told Reuters, “There will be no new casino on Boracay. I do not know how this will be resolved but as far as Boracay is concerned, President Duterte wants the Philippine people to benefit.”
