AMLC freezes terror-linked assets

THE Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has ordered to freeze the assets of a group and three individuals said to be linked to terrorist activities in the country.

In a statement on Wednesday, the AMLC said it issued an immediate sanctions freeze order for the said assets after the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) identified its owners as terrorists operating in the Philippines.

Among the terrorists subject to the resolution were Daulah Islamiyah-Hassan Group’s leader Muhammad Mohamad Solaiman/Sulaiman, otherwise known as Ustadz Mohammad Usman, who was killed in a military operation in Maguindanao last month.

The AMLC likewise froze the assets of Kalasan People’s Center for Environmental Concerns, Inc., Virgil “Bards/Bardz/Vards” P. Estrada and Maria Aleli De Guzman-Abrazado, also known as Cita Managuelod, Mila, Sola, Karen, Rasi, Valentina or Maggy.

According to the AMLC, the resolutions were issued in line with ATC’s Resolution No. 82, series of 2025, the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA) of 2012 and Republic Act No. 9160 or The Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2021, as amended. The freeze orders took effect on Jan. 16.

The AMLC instructed all relevant covered institutions to file a suspicious transaction report within five days from Jan. 21 covering all prior financial transactions of the said terrorists.

Meanwhile, the council noted that owners of the frozen assets may pursue remedies provided under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, its implementing rules and regulations (IRR), as well as the TFPSA and its IRR. — Katherine K. Chan