AMLC channels ₱125-million budget boost into AI to fight financial crime

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) allocated ₱125 million from its augmented 2026 budget to develop artificial intelligence capabilities and train specialized personnel, strengthening its ability to flag and investigate suspicious transactions, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor and AMLC Chairman Eli Remolona Jr. said Thursday.

The budget surge comes after the AMLC secured a ₱162.9-million increase for 2026—a restoration backed by Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson and Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who then chaired the Senate Finance Committee.

Of the total boost, ₱125 million went directly toward AI integration, capacity building, and onboarding experts qualified to operate the technology.

"Ang ₱125 million, napunta 'yan sa AI, tapos sa capacity building. Kailangan din ng mga experts sa paggamit ng AI. So gamit na gamit po ang budget na 'yan," Remolona said during a Development Budget Coordinating Committee (DBCC) briefing on the proposed 2027 national budget.

(“The ₱125 million went to AI and capacity building. We need experts who can operate AI. So that budget was put to very good use.”)

During the oversight hearing, Lacson inquired whether the additional funding had meaningfully upgraded the council's operational reach.

"Sa exercise na lang ng oversight namin, nasaan na tayo ngayon sa naitulong naming kaunting halaga na ₱162M? Nag-improve ba capacity ng AMLC?" Lacson asked.

Asked point-blank if the restored allocation made a difference, Remolona offered a direct response: "Absolutely."

Securing Resources After NEP Cuts

The funding restoration dates back to November 2025, when the Senate Finance Committee under Gatchalian adjusted the AMLC’s proposed budget upward to ₱333 million following Lacson's recommendation.

The council had originally requested ₱333.1 million from the Department of Budget and Management for 2026, but the Executive branch's National Expenditure Program (NEP) cut that figure down to ₱170.16 million—an amount Lacson publicly criticized as giving "crumbs" to a crucial agency.

Lacson pushed for the increase following a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation into a flood control scandal, which exposed deep gaps in the AMLC’s ability to track massive, fast-moving cash transactions.

Among the prominent cases cited during the hearings was the cash withdrawal of ₱457 million over just nine days in March and April 2025 by Sally Santos, owner of Syms Construction. Santos reportedly turned the funds over to dismissed Public Works engineer Brice Hernandez.

Defending the budget hike, Lacson argued that the agency's requested increase was modest compared to the vast sums lost to public corruption.

The extra funding needed by the council, Lacson noted, is "smaller than the commissions and SOPs demanded by corrupt officials in the Department of Public Works and Highways as well as some legislator-proponents."