Galaxy’s proposed Boracay casino under threats

The President of the Philippines has once again reassured its position to stop casino construction in Boracay.

Philippines.- Galaxy Entertainment Group’s proposed casino in Boracay island has faced multiple critics as officials are opposed to the idea of building in the territory. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has reaffirmed his position against the initiative and said that operators must forget the idea.

Duterte said on Friday that any business operator with plans to locate a facility in Boracay must forget the idea. “I hate gambling. I do not want gambling,” Duterte said during the 2018 National Information and Communications Technology summit in Davao City. “If you are thinking of a gambling place there, forget it. You are dreaming.”

The company had acquired a 23-hectare slot in Boracay for the casino-hotel project. Boracay has welcomed more than two million domestic and international tourists in 2017. However, the island has been closed for six months, as it experienced sewerage and environmental problems that forced the head of state to close the destination, potentially hurting the tourism industry.