President Rodrigo Dutere is against the building of a casino in the island of Boracay.

“Far from it actually. I never said building anything or even a nipa hut there,” Duterte said in a press conference in Davao City before flying to China on Monday.

“Walang plano diyang casino-casino. Tama na iyan kasi sobra na. May casino dito, casino doon,” he added.

(There is no plan to build a casino there. Stop already because they’re too much. There’s a casino here, a casino there.)

The President’s statement came as Galaxy Macau’s Galaxy Entertainment Group and its local partner, AB Leisure Exponent Inc., announced their plan of a $500-million integrated casino resort in the famous island resort.

Duterte said Filipinos would not gain anything from building a casino in Boracay.

“Bakit bigyan ko kayo diyan ng casino? Ano’ng makuha ng Pilipino diyan? Lahat ‘yan,” he said.

(Why would I give you a casino? What will the Filipinos get out of it? All of it.)

The President said he would also sign a proclamation to declare Boracay a state of calamity.

“Now if you are asking of a financial help, I am going to sign the proclamation of calamity. And we can make available about P2 billion of assistance but these are only for the poor Filipinos,” he said.

“I will not spend any single centavo for those inns there, hotel owners or motels. At ‘yung magagandang bahay (And for the beautiful houses), do not expect me to pay anything,” he added. /kga. je

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