https://businessmirror.com.ph/2026/07/20/amending-amla-pushed-anew-amid-rise-in-crimes/

INCREASINGLY sophisticated financial crimes warrant a stronger legal framework, including amending the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva has asserted, while stressing that the country must, at the same time, ensure that expanded enforcement powers are not prone to abuse.

“Kapag mabilis kumilos ang mga kriminal, dapat mas mabilis ang batas [When criminals move fast, the law must move faster]. But greater authority must always come with clear limits, transparency, and accountability,” added Villanueva, the former chairperson of the Senate Committee on Banks.

“We need to ensure that our institutions have the appropriate legal authority to act swiftly against illicit financial activities while upholding the rule of law, due process, and the constitutional rights of individuals,” he said.

Villanueva has filed Senate Bill 1983 seeking to amend Republic Act 9160, or the AMLA.

The bill aims to expand the powers of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), broaden the scope of covered persons, and update the predicate offenses for money laundering to include emerging crimes.

The AMLC recently repeated its request for additional authority to suspend financial transactions and impose an initial freeze on suspected criminal assets without first securing a court order.

The proposed amendments, said the council, would bolster the country’s position ahead of the Financial Action Task Force’s Global Fifth Round of Mutual Evaluation in 2027.

Villanueva cautioned, however, that any authority to suspend transactions or freeze assets without prior court approval must be narrowly defined, time-bound, supported by sufficient factual and legal grounds, and subject to prompt judicial review and legislative scrutiny.

“Hindi maaaring maging blank check ang anumang karagdagang kapangyarihan [Any additional power must be treated as a blank check]. The AMLC must be able to act quickly, but its actions must remain reviewable, transparent, and fully accountable under the law,” the senator said.

Villanueva added that the safeguards established under the AMLA, existing legal frameworks, and Supreme Court rulings must continue to govern the exercise of the AMLC’s powers to prevent them from being misused or weaponized against innocent individuals, legitimate businesses, political opponents, or other sectors.

The AMLC is chaired by the Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and remains subject to statutory, judicial, and institutional checks. Villanueva said Congress must also ensure meaningful oversight over the implementation of any expanded powers granted under the law.

Under Villanueva’s bill, additional entities, including trust and company service providers, lawyers and accountants involved in specified financial transactions, online gambling operators, and virtual asset service providers, would be covered by AMLA compliance requirements.

The measure grants the AMLC stronger enforcement powers, including the authority to issue transaction suspension orders, administrative freeze orders, and subpoenas, and seeks to streamline court processes to ensure timely action against suspicious transactions.

Villanueva said these powers must be accompanied by clear standards, documentation and reporting requirements, remedies for affected parties, and appropriate penalties for officials who act arbitrarily or beyond their lawful authority.

The bill would also expand the list of predicate offenses to include cybercrime, environmental violations, agricultural economic sabotage, and offenses related to the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

The proposal further strengthens customer due diligence and reporting requirements while imposing stricter administrative sanctions to ensure compliance among covered entities.

It also provides safeguards for data protection and allows the AMLC to retain and utilize forfeited assets, subject to prescribed limits, to support its operations.

“We must continue modernizing our laws so that criminals cannot exploit gaps in our legal framework. At the same time, we must make sure that the powers intended to fight crime do not themselves become instruments of abuse. Effective enforcement and the protection of civil liberties must always go hand in hand,” Villanueva said.