President Rodrigo Duterte has allowed a casino to operate in Boracay Island as part of the government’s revenue-generating efforts to augment funds for its COVID-19 response. 

On Saturday, August 28, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that Duterte had given his go-signal for the operation of a casino at the popular tourist spot. 

He said that the establishment would follow restrictions such as the observance of safety and health protocols imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It would also follow restrictions concerning keeping children or minors away from gambling activities. 

Roque did not specify which casino would be allowed to operate or when.

Casinos have not been allowed to operate in Boracay since 2018, when it reopened to the public following its six-month rehabilitation. In October 2018, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) agreed to revoke the franchises of casino operators there.

At the time, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra wanted the President to issue an executive order banning casinos in Boracay. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año also said back then that Duterte had given him “specific instruction” to stop casinos from operating in Boracay.

The government had issued in 2018 a cease and desist order to stop the casino of Alpha Allied Holdings Limited operating in Movenpick Boracay. Pagcor also suspended the license of Macau-based Galaxy Entertainment Group, whose local partner, Leisure & Resorts World Corporation, had already purchased land in Boracay.

The move augurs well for provisional casino license holders like the Philippines’ Alliance Global Group Inc, and the partnership of Leisure & Resorts World Corporation and Galaxy Entertainment Group.

In 2018, Duterte rejected Galaxy’s plan to build a $500-million integrated casino resort in Boracay.

Alliance Global will proceed with its casino project in Boracay where it has several hotels and a golf course, company chairman Andrew Tan said in a statement on Saturday. “We are very hopeful that the tourism industry in this island will recover fast after the pandemic.”

Galaxy can start its operations focusing on foreign gamblers, Pagcor President Alfredo Lim told Reuters. – with a report from Reuters/Rappler.com