ILOILO CITY – The Roman Catholic bishops in Western Visayas region and Romblon have united in opposing the Duterte administration’s sudden push to establish casinos in Boracay Island, the country’s most famous beach destination.
“No to Gambling Casino, No to Gambling in Boracay!” said the key Roman Catholic leaders in a collegial statement released by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
“Boracay is already a paradise: a family destination, a venue for educational advancement and entrepreneurship, a wider avenue for employment, a good source of livelihood for the people and revenues for the government,” they said in a collective statement.
This collegial statement is a follow up to the September pastoral letter of Kalibo Bishop Jose Tala-oc.
The Catholic leaders do not agree with President Duterte that casinos will be the answer to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While we understand the urgent need of government to raise its revenue especially during this pandemic, the harm and risk factors far outweigh the expected benefits if we conduct the social impact assessment of opening gambling casinos in Boracay that should necessarily involve the affected communities, particularly the community of indigenous people in the island,” they added.
They also pointed out that the presence of casinos will defeat the government efforts in restoring the natural habitat of Boracay. It started with the six-month closure in 2018.
Signatory in the collegial statement are Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo of Archdiocese of Jaro in Iloilo, Bishop Marvyn Abrea Maceda of the Diocese of San Jose de Antique, Bishop Patricio Buzon of the Diocese of Bacolod, Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos, Bishop Louie Galbines of the Diocese of Kabankalan, Monsignor Cyril Villareal of the Archdiocese of Capiz, Bishop Narciso Abellana of Romblon, and Tala-oc.