The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has filed civil forfeiture petitions at the Manila Regional Trial Court targeting properties of individuals and corporations implicated in ghost flood control projects, while securing asset preservation orders to protect frozen assets.
“Following the extensive investigation and finding of probable cause, the AMLC filed three petitions for civil forfeiture before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Manila. The petitions cover the properties of individuals and entities subject to several freeze orders issued by the Court of Appeals,” the council said.
The RTC has already issued two provisional asset preservation orders to safeguard monetary instruments and properties pending the Court’s final decision, the AMLC added. Civil forfeiture allows the government to seize assets suspected to be proceeds or tools of crime without a criminal conviction, based on a lower standard of proof known as the “balance of probabilities.”
“Given the scale and intricacy of the data, the AMLC is proceeding with deliberate care to ensure that all evidence is complete and accurate,” the agency said. “This is essential not only to uphold the integrity of the investigation but also to ensure that the cases, once filed, are supported by robust and admissible evidence capable of withstanding judicial scrutiny.”
The filing represents the first of several planned petitions aimed at recovering illicit funds tied to anomalies in flood control projects. The first Court of Appeals freeze order in September 2025 covered 135 bank accounts and 27 insurance policies, with total frozen assets reaching ₱2.9 billion.
By December 2025, the Court of Appeals had issued freeze orders covering 4,679 bank accounts, 283 insurance policies, 255 motor vehicles, 178 real properties, 16 e-wallet accounts, and three securities accounts, bringing the total value of frozen assets to ₱13 billion.
“The action marks the first of several petitions to be filed, all aimed at recovering funds tied to corrupt practices involving flood control projects,” the AMLC said.