While the proposed budget for the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for next year stands at ₱170 million, raising it to the ₱333.1 million originally requested by the agency is possible on the condition that money laundering in casinos can be curbed once advanced tools are in place.

“Hopefully, the difference of ₱162.94 million will be restored to us, and that amount on top of the NEP [National Expenditure Program]-approved budget would be sufficient for us to procure the ICT [information and communication technology] tools we need in carrying out our mandate,” AMLC Executive Director Mathew M. David told senators during a Senate finance committee hearing on Monday, Sept. 15.

David noted that the proposed allocation “will not be enough.”

AMLC specifically seeks a ₱333.1-million budget for 2026, but was allotted only ₱170 million under the NEP, leaving a shortfall of ₱162.9 million, which David said is crucial to fund advanced ICT tools.

Currently, AMLC only launches an investigation into suspicious cash movements when casino operators report such cases. The agency has also set the threshold at ₱5 million, which qualifies a transaction to be reported for investigation.

David reported that as of the first semester of 2025, suspicious transaction reports (STRs) had already reached 24.5 million, while covered transactions stood at 42.2 million.

Lawmakers suggested adopting machine learning and predictive analytics tools to process the growing volume of suspicious and covered transaction reports, which can no longer be effectively analyzed manually.

“You should have a way to trigger an investigation regardless—whether or not someone files a complaint or comes to you to inquire. You should have a mechanism to monitor when the amounts involved run into the hundreds of millions, as that should serve as a red flag for you to start looking into Pagcor [state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.] and the casinos,” Sen. Raffy Tulfo asserted.

“It could begin internally on your part, and then later on, once you see there’s really an anomaly, you can escalate it into an interagency investigation,” Tulfo added.

Senators also raised the lack of on-site AMLC personnel in casinos, questioning reliance on casino compliance officers. As such, they suggested additional manpower to monitor cash-heavy transactions directly.