THE militant Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) is skeptical of the ongoing campaign of the Duterte administration on Boracay Island.
Despite the government move to shut down hotels and resorts on the island, particularly small and locally operated ones, foreign take over of the world-famous island paradise looms, the group said, citing the reported plan of a Macau-based casino-resort operator to construct a $500-million integrated project on the island.
Last Friday the Task Force Boracay led by Secretary Roy A. Cimatu of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced that a recommendation has been made to close Boracay for up to a year to pave the way for the massive rehabilitation of the island paradise that is currently besieged by various environmental problems.
Boracay, an island in the municipality of Malay, Aklan province, is known for its white, sandy beaches and pristine waters. It is the country’s top tourist destination and is frequented by both local tourists and visitors from all over the world.
While President Duterte will have the final say on the matter, the announcement from the DENR chief triggered howls of protest, especially among local businessmen with hotels and resorts on the island.
In a statement, Pamalakaya National Chairman Fernando Hicap said the Duterte administration may be planning a “lutong Macau” project, which means “fixed” in Filipino parlance, that could eventually displace local businesses.
The Filipino expression lutong Macau means a decision has been rigged or prearranged.
He lamented that while planning to rehabilitate Boracay Island, a big Chinese company is actually planning to put up a big Macau-type casino-resort.
Based on news reports, Galaxy Entertainment and its local partner Leisure Resorts World Corp. are seeking regulatory approval for the $300-million to $500-million casino project in the country’s top tourist island, Hicap said.
Last Friday, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) said the plan of the Macau-based casino operator and its local partner to build the integrated casino-resort on the island will proceed despite the impending closure of Boracay.
Pamalakaya said even though the Duterte administration has yet to admit the real score behind the Boracay shutdown, they are well aware that some giant developers are already planning a takeover and to monopolize the island beach resort to rake in profit at the expense of local businesses.
“Shutting down small-time beach resorts in Boracay as an entry point for foreign casinos is anti-Filipino, gross puppetry and total sell-out not only of our national patrimony, but even our beautiful tourist destinations,” Hicap said.
“Duterte’s posturing to rehabilitate Boracay is absurd as he literally surrendered our marine resources and allowed environmental destruction brought about by his defeatism to reclamation and occupation of China in the West Philippine Sea, as well as the massive reclamation projects in our coastal waters through the National Reclamation Plan,” Hicap added.
Granting that the need to clean up the mess on Boracay Island is urgent, Hicap said it should not be used as “a facade to facilitate the entry of foreign monopoly-resort corporations.”
Despite the announcement, Pagcor announced it gave the green light for a $500-million resort to be constructed on the island.
“Duterte should castigate more government officials who tolerated this predicament while prioritizing the livelihood of poor sectors, such as small cottage owners, resort workers and fishing communities. The administration must outrightly reject the applications of giant developers like Galaxy Entertainment who want to transform our island into a Macau-type casino,” Hicap said.
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Under Duterte, Chinese money talks.