Latin America, Caribbean Embrace Transition to Circular Economy

Officials of the former Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) appeared to have been blindsided by the recent announcement of President Duterte to allow the opening of a casino in Boracay Island. Despite repeated text messages from the BusinessMirror, BIATF officials have chosen to remain silent on Duterte’s flip-flop on his “no-casino” policy. One BIATF source said he didn’t want to comment on the issue because, “That’s a decision made by the highest official of the land.” Pressed if BIATF officials were aware about policy change prior to Duterte’s announcement last August 26, the source said in a mix of English and Filipino, “No. It was an unexpected pronouncement.” In a joint news statement late Monday, the BIATF said, “In line with the President’s latest pronouncement that casinos will now be allowed to operate in Boracay Island to augment government funds, [we] will carry out the necessary steps towards this direction.”