Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte U-Turn on Boracay Casino Has Environmental Concern

Environmental groups feature lashed out at Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s determination to reserve a gambling casino holiday resort on the idyllic holiday island of Boracay.

Last week, the strongarm leader’s spokesman, Harry Roque, proclaimed the ban on casinos on the island would live lifted. The U-turn was necessary to finance the country’s battle against the pandemic, Roque explained.

Previously, Duterte vowed there would never live a cassino resort on Boracay, adding the decision was “the sound of God.”

Last Saturday, Roque said in a statement the chairwoman had “given his go-signal allowing the performance of a gambling casino inward Boracay.”

On Tuesday, Andrea Domingo, chair of Filipino gaming regulator PAGCOR, was asked by reporters which plans Duterte had approved. Was it the Galaxy externalise or another previously mooted “Megaworld” proposal from Filipino tycoon Saint Andrew the Apostle Tan, who has an interest inward Resorts World Manila?

“Both,” she replied, without elaborating.

Ecosystem Threatened By Tourism

The Philippine tourism roaring has taken its toll on Boracay’s coastline. Until Duterte’s crackdown in 2018, the beaches were existence spoilt past the outpouring of untreated wastewater into the sea, which also damaged the precious coral reef.

However, since 2018, the explosion of unregulated commercial message developing and trillion tourists per twelvemonth has threatened the island’s ecosystem.

In Apr 2018, Duterte ordered the consummate shutdown of the island for sextet months for environmental clean-up, branding it a “cesspit” that “smelled of sh*t.”

At that time, Macau-based Galaxy Entertainment received a provisional countenance to grow a $500 trillion gambling casino resort on Boracay. When quizzed by reporters, Duterte denied wise(p) this, despite having publicly met with Galaxy chairman Lui Che Woo Little Joe months previously to discuss the development.

“The voice of the people is the vox of God,” he told Philippine media. “If it is the wish of the universe here that they doh not want a casino, and so in that location testament follow no more casino.”

Paradise Lost

Tan told ABS-CBN News he was ready to continue with his be after for Boracay, offering assurances his society would “adhere to all regime environmental policies.”

It’s not open whether Galaxy relieve has an stake inward Boracay. Analyst Sanford C. Leonard Bernstein said inward a take note Midweek that China’s ongoing crackdown on abroad gambling could discourage the companionship at a time when its Macau license is up for renewal.

Environmental advocator and human rights attorney Tony La Viña was simply ace of the voices quizzical the conclusion to The South Red China Morning Post this week. He wondered wherefore the administration would risk of exposure losing everything achieved inward the six-month clean-up.

“Boracay will die, all the sacrifices from and gains achieved inward the gag rule [will be] gone,” he warned.