Harry Roque, President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman, said Macau-based Galaxy Entertainment Group might open a casino in the Philippines, but not on Boracay.
The fate of a US$500-million integrated casino resort project in Boracay island is up in the air after the Philippine government official said the popular destination is off-limits to a casino.
Harry Roque, President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman, said Macau-based Galaxy Entertainment Group might open a casino in the Philippines, but not on Boracay.
“I think the president has already addressed the issue of a new casino in Boracay. There will be no new casino in Boracay. (Galaxy) could have a provisional licence. If they can’t build in Boracay, perhaps they could build elsewhere,” he said.
President Duterte, who called Boracay island “a cesspool,” has threatened to convert the popular destination into an agricultural area.
Earlier, state gaming agency Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) defended the Boracay project, saying Galaxy was expected to help preserve the environment in the island.
Pagcor had already granted Galaxy a provisional licence, the first step towards securing the necessary permits and licence for construction and operations.
Galaxy partnered with Leisure and Resorts World Corp. to acquire a 23-hectare property on Boracay for the project.
Pagcor also clarified that the project was not a mega casino. “Only a small portion [of the project’s area] will be for gaming. The rest will be for hotels, recreational facilities, a theme park, restaurants and other tourism related facilities. Gaming is only 7.5%,” Pagcor chairman Andrea Domingo said.
Boracay island will be closed down starting April 26 for rehabilitation after government agencies found numerous violations of environmental laws by several resorts and business establishments.
The tourism industry said it is supporting moves to rehabilitate the island but criticised the closure as “arbitrary” and “not well-thought out”.
With the President’s declaration that he does not want a casino in Boracay, Galaxy’s casino resort project now faces an uncertain future.
While Pagcor continues to support the project despite President Duterte’s position, environment secretary Roy Cimatu, who spearheaded the move to close down Boracay, declared he, too, was against the Galaxy project.
The Galaxy project would still need an environmental clearance certificate (ECC) from the government, assuming it gets the green light to proceed. An ECC is issued by the Environmental Management Bureau, which is under Cimatu’s ministry.