DOJ recommends issuance of EO for Boracay 'no casino' policy

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended the issuance of an executive order (EO) for the implementation of "no casino" policy in Boracay Island following its reopening on Friday.

"The DOJ has specifically recommended the issuance of an executive order that will somehow guide not only the current administration but also for a longer term, the matter of implementing a policy of no casinos in Boracay," DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a press briefing.

"Dahil ang konsepto ng Boracay is a family and tipong family-oriented activity and not meant for foreigners or tourists who will come to Boracay not to enjoy the place but to engage in gambling. So that's the main idea there. We recommended the issuance of executive order to that effect," he added.

On the existing casinos on the island, Guevarra reminded them that their franchises can be revoked anytime by the government.

"We have given the opinion na 'yan kasing franchise, whether provisional or permanent, is revocable at any time because that is a privilege granted by the State, it can be revoked anytime," he said.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat emphasized that President Rodrigo Duterte has strictly instructed them that there should be no gambling activities in the tourist destination.

"In one Cabinet meeting, the President already said there will be no casino or gambling, even the existing ones even before Boracay opened, there will be no casinos allowed," Romulo-Puyat said.

Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año said the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) has ordered the cancellation of permits of the existing casinos.

"The President gave specific instructions to me that no casino shall be operating even the existing ones. We requested PAGCOR chair Andrea Domingo to cancel the franchise and permit of these existing casinos," Año said.

"Fortunately last October 22, she issued a cease and desist order... we can say to all of you no casino is now existing in Boracay Island and we intend to implement that regulation continuously," he added.

Boracay Island reopened to local and foreign tourists after it was closed by the government for a six-month environmental rehabilitation. The number of tourists in Boracay is now limited to only 6,405 per day.

Duterte called the island a “cesspool” and ordered government agencies to solve the environmental issues plaguing the island.  —KBK, GMA News