Galaxy not backing down on Boracay

The president of the Philippines may not want further casino expansion in the country, but that isn’t stopping Galaxy Entertainment Group from moving forward with its plans to launch a resort on Boracay Island, reports Calvin Ayre.

Galaxy had announced a project on Boracay even before Duterte stepped in early last year to shut the gate on new casinos. When the island was ordered shut to be cleaned after years of negligence, the company waited patiently until it was reopened. They received a shock when the curtain was lifted six months later and Duterte dropped the hammer on any new developments.

According to Galaxy’s vice chairman, Francis Lui, the company is ready to move forward on Boracay. It has proposed a USD500-million casino resort on the island, for which the Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) issued a license early last year.

Lui told Inside Asian Gaming that the project has not yet been totally scrapped. He said, “it’s always been one of the top five beach islands of the world and we truly want to be part of it and make sure we would be able to elevate it back to the same position as before.”

“People will come to know that this is the type of project that is needed to invigorate the brand Boracay used to have.”  DB