Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte says he is opposed to plans by Macau’s Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) and its Philippines partner Leisure & Resorts World Corporation (LRWC) to build a US$500 million integrated resort in Boracay, claiming he will give the land to farmers instead.
Speaking to local media on Monday, Duterte said, “I don’t have plans there for casinos. There are enough, there is too much – casino here, casino there.”
Speaking in Filipino, he added, “Consider Boracay a land reform area. I will give it to the farmers first. I will issue a proclamation that all of the land will be agricultural.
“The law says it is forest, agricultural. Why would I deviate from that?”
Duterte’s comments come less than three weeks after GEG and LRWC were granted a provisional casino license by Philippines gaming regulator PAGCOR for its IR, said to be a “premium quality, low rise, eco-friendly resort development” located in Boracay.
However. Boracay’s immediate future is up in the air after Duterte last week ordered the closure of the holiday island to tourists for six months, starting on 26 April, in order to address concerns over rising pollution levels. The closure is set to impact up to 36,000 workers.
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