Philippine Senator backs casino ban

Senator Villanueva is urging the President to officially order the ban on casinos in Boracay.

Philippines.- Senator Joel Villanueva has urged the President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, to officially order a ban on casinos in Boracay Island. The highest authority of the country has expressed his opposition to casinos on the island multiple times.

The Senator said in a statement that he supports the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) initiative for a “no-casino” policy in the island, which has recently reopened after six months of being closed for rehabilitation.

“The white sand beaches of Boracay are already a perfect sight to see and we believe that building casinos in the island is unnecessary,” Villanueva said, and added: “Hence, we support the Tourism Department in its call for the President to issue an Executive Order that will permanently ban gambling in Boracay.”

Villanueva believes that the government should promote sustainable tourism: “The government should therefore promote sustainable tourism, instead of gambling, to attract more tourists to our country,” he said.