ILOILO CITY?Church leaders again rejected a plan to put up a casino at the posh Fairways and Bluewaters Resort on the northern portion of Boracay Island, the country?s top tourist destination.

Kalibo Bishop Jose Romeo Lazo said proponents of the casino recently met with diocesan officials and clergy members to seek their support, five years after President Macacapal-Arroyo ordered a similar project shelved.

?The stand of the Church against gambling as defined by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines is clear. If there are plans (to put up a casino), the Church will oppose it,? Lazo told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

Lazo said the parish pastoral councils of Malay town and Boracay had a similar position. He has instructed the parishes there to be vigilant and to express their opposition to the plan.

?Boracay is a natural treasure of Aklanons and the Filipino people. We are for a family-oriented and wholesome island-resort and we, therefore, want a drug-free and gambling-free Boracay,? he said.

The Church was one of the most active and vocal institution in blocking plans by the government to operate the Small Town Lottery in the province last year. The provincial board shelved the proposal following the protests.

The plan to put up a casino in Boracay was also pushed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) in 2003. Tourism officials had said that earnings could help finance development projects on the island.

But Boracay residents and the Diocese of Kalibo opposed it because of its perceived immoral effects. Thousands of people joined anticasino rallies and even held vigils at the proposed site.

"I call on all parishioners especially religious organizations to unite, pray, reflect and act to express your stand and sentiments against gambling in Boracay,? Lezo said in his letter to Malay and Boracay residents.

Pagcor formally shelved the plan on Aug. 31, 2003, two weeks after Ms Arroyo announced that she was against it.