ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio has denounced the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) as “inutile” for allegedly failing to act on massive cash withdrawals linked to corruption in government infrastructure projects.
During budget deliberations for AMLC’s proposed ₱170.1 million allocation for 2026, Tinio questioned the agency’s inability to flag transactions involving hundreds of millions, sometimes billions of pesos withdrawn by contractors and allegedly delivered in cash to lawmakers and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) offices.
Tinio argued that legitimate businesses typically use electronic transfers, not bulk cash withdrawals, and said AMLC’s dependence on banks to report suspicious transactions renders it powerless.
He contrasted this with AMLC’s swift action against small NGOs accused of terrorism financing, such as freezing ₱35,000 in assets of the Cebu-based Cernet and ₱19 million from the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines.
“Kapagka ‘yung mga organisasyon na ganito, CERNET, Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, all organizations by the way whose mandate is to serve the poor… Their assets have been frozen, and they face charges. Mabilis pong kumilos ang AMLC,” Tinio said.
“Pero ‘pag usapin na ng tens of billions, ultimately hundreds of billions that have moved through the banking system from the Land Bank, from the accounts of government– DPWH, ‘yung pera ng taumbayan, pinambayad sa mga contractor, inencash, tapos ‘yun ang pinamumudmod ngayon sa mga pulitiko, nilalagay sa mga maleta… Ang sinasabi po sa ‘tin dito ay wala pong magagawa ang AMLC for as long as hindi po ito ire-report ng mga covered institutions,” Tinio added.
AMLC, through its budget sponsor Rep. Ma. Isabel Sagarbarria, responded that the agency relies on banks to flag suspicious activity.
Sagarbarria noted that large withdrawals by “big contractors” may be considered routine unless reported otherwise.
Tinio called this a dangerous loophole that enables large-scale corruption to go unchecked.
AMLC has since obtained freeze orders from the Court of Appeals covering hundreds of bank accounts and insurance policies tied to the flood control scandal, but Tinio insists the damage has already been done. (ZIA LUNA)
