Duterte: EO not needed for casino ban in Boracay

Contrary to an earlier position of the Department of Justice, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday that there was no need for him to issue an executive order banning casinos in Boracay.

He made the statement in the visit to the resort island to distribute land certificates to agrarian reform beneficiaries.

"Anyway, it’s a privilege [casino franchise]. Whether I put it in writing or just say it verbally. It is not a requirement that I should really be, you know, writing something," he said.

Duterte's pronouncement differed from the position of his spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who recommended an EO to enforce the "no casino policy."

The President said the people in Boracay are against casinos. 

"The voice of people is the voice of God. If it is the wish of the population here that they do not want a casino, then it will be a no casino," he said. — LDF, GMA News