By Karen Bermejo (PNA)
BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan — President Rodrigo R. Duterte said there is no need for him to issue an Executive Order (EO) to ban casino operations in Boracay.
“No, I’ll just say that I do not need to do that… It is not a requirement that I should really be writing something,” Duterte said in a mixed Filipino and English during a media interview after the distribution of land titles in Boracay on Thursday evening.
During the island’s reopening on October 26, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has recommended the issuance of an EO from the President to speed up the ban on casino operations in Boracay.
Guevarra, in a press conference, said an EO would provide lasting ruling for a no-casino policy on the island.
The President, however, reiterated the resistance from the Boracay community is enough to make the island free from casinos.
Duterte said he has assigned Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año to ensure that no casino operation will be allowed in Boracay. “We consulted the people here, the people in Boracay does not want (casino),” he said.
The President said casino operations may also spawn crimes such as illegal drugs, as well as cases of kidnapping.
