His Cabinet recommended it, and President Duterte is going along with the closure of Boracay Island for six months despite concerns that this may be too long and can seriously affect livelihoods. He also reiterated that there would be no casinos on the island. “I said I do not interfere in the work of the Cabinet members. If that’s the recommendation of (Roy) Cimatu, (Eduardo) Año and (Wanda) Teo, then that is it,” Duterte told reporters, referring to the secretaries of environment, local government and tourism.

Romero, A., Punay, E., & Simeon, L. M. (2018, April 30). Duterte firm on Boracay closure, casino ban. Panay News, pp. 1, 2.