AMLC should learn from China

The ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte in the Senate became a venue for the public and the senator-judges to know and look into the details of how our AMLC operates, and whether this agency follows the mandate given to it by the law.

For instance, Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano called out the Anti-Money Laundering Council for coming out with a half-baked report which just quoted newspaper articles and charges aired by the usual critics at the House quadcom panel, and making these the basis of official-looking documentary reports of the Council, with its logo and the signatures of its officials.

The law creating the AMLC specifically carried a provision against political harassment, as Cayetano cited in his manifestation.

We notice that the Council, which is headed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor, with the Insurance Commissioner and the SEC  head as members, has not been doing anything about terrorism financing and illegal movement of funds using currencies and crypto. 

Cayetano is correct in reminding the senators to take this up in their legislative sessions, with Sen. Chiz Escudero concurring with the idea that the Senate should use its oversight function to make sure that the AMLC is doing its job right.

Perhaps the AMLC and our financial police authorities should learn from the efficient operation in China and Hong Kong against similar criminals.

It was reported by the China Daily that police from the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have dismantled a cross-border underground banking ring operating in Guangdong province and Hong Kong, arresting more than 170 suspects and freezing or seizing large amounts of assets.

The Ministry of Public Security disclosed that the coordinated operation was carried out in May under the direction of the ministry, with public security authorities in Guangdong and other regions working alongside Hong Kong police.

Mainland police froze more than 15 million yuan ($2.23 million) in funds linked to the case, while Hong Kong police seized assets worth about HK$170 million ($21.7 million), according to the ministry.

The investigation began after Hong Kong police detected abnormal cross-border fund flows involving several Hong Kong bank accounts in September 2025 and requested assistance from mainland authorities.

The ministry’s economic crime investigation bureau subsequently formed a special task force to investigate the case. Police found that the group had established shell companies on the mainland and in Hong Kong and exploited Guangdong’s proximity to Hong Kong to build illegal channels for moving funds across the border.

The group allegedly transferred money through methods including “mirror settlement” inside and outside the mainland, fictitious trade, cash and gold smuggling, and virtual currency transactions. The network provided cross-border fund transfer services for criminal activities including gambling and fraud, involving large amounts of money, the ministry said.

During the operation in May, mainland police froze more than 15 million yuan and seized a large number of tools allegedly used in the crimes, including mobile phones and bank cards. Meanwhile, Hong Kong police arrested the alleged ringleader and two core members of the group and seized assets valued at about HK$170 million.

While our police and financial authorities are well taken care of in terms of budget and perks, we have not heard of similar raids or successful operations by joint task forces including the AMLC.

What we know, of course, are the recent seizure of a private jet and some 521 kilos of crystal methamphetamine or shabu in Luang Prabang International Airport in Laos which was bound for Manila.

A day or so after, some 1.2 billion bhat worth of illegal drugs packed in sacks were confiscated in the Gulf of Thailand by Thai Marine police, also bound for the Philippines.