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The government is strengthening its financial investigation capabilities for environmental crimes in preparation for the 2027 Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) Mutual Evaluation.
In a news release on Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said it has partnered with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to conduct a three-day Specialized Training on Financial Investigations for Wildlife and Forest Crime Cases held on May 12 to 14.
The training brought together members of the DOJ–National Prosecution Service Task Force on Environmental Crimes, field prosecutors, DENR personnel, and representatives from law enforcement agencies, including the National Bureau of Investigation – Environmental Crimes Division and the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group.
The program was sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which supports global efforts to combat illicit financial flows linked to transnational crimes.
According to the DOJ, the initiative aims to enhance the ability of prosecutors and investigators to trace and develop financial evidence connected to environmental offenses, allowing authorities to pursue not only criminal violations of environmental laws but also related money laundering cases.
“This initiative is particularly timely given the recognition of environmental crimes as high-risk predicate offenses under the Philippines’ National Risk Assessment, highlighting the importance of further strengthening financial investigation and prosecution capabilities in this area,” the DOJ said.
Deputy State Prosecutor Margaret V. Castillo-Padilla, head of the Task Force on Environmental Crimes, led a presentation titled “Building Cases That Win: The DC 20 Framework in Practice – Prosecutor-Guided Investigation” during the training.
She emphasized the importance of early prosecutorial involvement and coordinated enforcement efforts in building strong cases.
“We do not file cases to test them. We file cases we are ready to win,” Castillo-Padilla said.
The program also covered wildlife and forest crime supply chains, financial investigation techniques, money laundering typologies, asset recovery mechanisms, and evidence development for predicate and related financial crimes.
Participants took part in workshops and case-building exercises involving four environmental crime scenarios, focusing on identifying financial leads and potential money laundering components.
The DOJ said the training is part of broader preparations for the Philippines’ 2027 APG Mutual Evaluation, which will assess the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework.
“These efforts form part of the Philippine government’s continuing commitment to enhancing its money laundering framework and strengthening its preparedness for the 2027 APG Mutual Evaluation,” it said.
The DOJ added that strengthening financial investigations is key to environmental justice and ensuring that offenders—and those who profit from environmental destruction—are held fully accountable under the law.