The president of the Philippines may not want further casino expansion in the country, but this isn’t stopping Galaxy Entertainment from moving forward with its plans to launch a resort on Boracay Island. President Rodrigo Duterte shut the gate on new casino projects in the country early last year – especially on Boracay – but Galaxy believes that the rules don’t apply to the international gaming operator.

Galaxy had announced a project on Boracay even before Duterte stepped in. When the island was shut down in order to be cleaned up 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 $500-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.”

Duterte asserted last November that the ban on Boracay casinos came from “the voice of the people,” which was the same as “the voice of god.” He further stated, “If it is the wish of the population that they do not want a casino, then there will be no casino.”