Boracay Casino Resort Still On Track to Open 2021 Despite Ongoing Hurdles

A projected casino hotel on Boracay is on track to be launched in 2021, despite the Philippine island’s closed for environmental rehabilitation, a representative of one of the firms behind the project told local press.

News emerged last December that Macau hospitality and gaming giant Galaxy Entertainment Group had partnered Philippine leisure and entertainment company Leisure and Resorts World Corp. (LRWC) to assemble together a $550-million incorporated hotel on the island of Boracay. It had been declared earlier this year that Galaxy has obtained a provisional gaming license from the gambling regulator, PAGCOR, for the performance of a casino in the projected property.

At precisely the same time, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the close of the island for a two-year ecological cleanup, following a probe into the environmental state of the favorite tourist hub. The probe found that local businesses were releasing untreated waste water into the sea and there were multiple illegal buildings throughout the island. Boracay was shut on April 26.

Responding to news that Galaxy and its local partner were intending to construct a casino on the island, President Duterte has said he wouldn’t permit that.

Regardless of the President’s vows to prevent the plan from the island’s closed, LRWC is convinced that the hotel is on track to start by 2021, as initially planned. The organization ’s Vice President for Legal Affairs Katrina Nepomuceno said Friday the environmental cleanup is not delaying the job as they had the ability to complete what they had to complete before Boracay’s closure.

It became known earlier this year that Galaxy and its local partner have obtained a 23-hectare site in the Barangay Manoc-Manoc area. Ms. Nepomuceno said that a property survey has shown that the portion of property was alienable and disposable.

The LRWC official further clarified they have been working closely with the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which is responsible for the ongoing rehabilitation process, as well as with other government agencies, and they are getting updates about the process from the Boracay task force.

Ms. Nepomuceno also told media that they want to be certain their job is fully compliant with all the authorities ’s environmental requirements.

Asked when construction on the hotel is expected to begin, the official said that they are yet to decide on the official start of the development process but they believe the 2021 targeted opening is still achievable despite the island’s closed. Ms. Nepomuceno further pointed out that she’s confident in the future materialization of their plan because President Duterte has said that he wants to keep Boracay popular with tourists and they are offering an opportunity for that to happen.

The LRWC official also said Friday that they are yet to receive confirmation from the Department of Agrarian Reform about a recently announced planned for Boracay to be put under an agrarian reform that could aim to hand territory throughout the island to its natives.