200,000 protesters march in San Juan; cruise ship impact nears $2.5M

July 22 (UPI) -- Multiple cruise lines canceled planned stops in Puerto Rico on Monday as an estimated 200,000 people protested against Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in the streets of San Juan.

The demonstrators renewed calls for the governor to resign more than a week after private chat messages between the governor his close associates were leaked. Puerto Ricans have participated in daily demonstrations since the messages were revealed July 13.

State police spokesman Axel Valencia told CNN that more than 200,000 were marching in San Juan. At least 18 people were treated for fainting during the demonstration, police said.

The messages included sexual comments critics say were misogynistic and homophobic. Rosselló was already under fire following the arrests of two former government officials on corruption charges.

The chats on the Telegram messaging service targeted political opponents, spoke of assassinating San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz and made fun of needy Puerto Ricans. They were revealed July 13 by the non-profit Center for Investigative Journalism, which posted 889 pages on its website.

Meanwhile, cruise ships from MSC and Royal Caribbean canceled their stops in Puerto Rico on Monday. The companies said they did so because the local businesses who operated excursions for the passengers canceled their services.

"Similarly, the lines expressed concern about the demonstrations that could be generated in Old San Juan at night," the Puerto Rico Tourism Company said in a statement Monday.

The economic impact of the two ships not docking in Puerto was estimated to be nearly $750,000. The overall impact of all cruises canceled to date due to protests is about $2.5 million.

On Sunday, Rosselló reiterated his stance that he will not resign from his position, though he announced he won't run for re-election in 2020.

"A large portion of the population is unhappy and I recognize it," he said. "I've heard you ... Today, I have the responsibility to direct my strengths to try and find alternatives so that with God we may be able to move forward."

During his address Sunday, he acknowledged that he made "mistakes" and said he realizes that "asking for forgiveness is not enough."

He said because of this, he welcomes the Puerto Rico House of Representatives' pursuit of impeachment, which began Thursday.