AMLC freezes assets of community doctor, ‘terror group’

MANILA, Philippines — The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has frozen the assets of a community doctor and the Al-Khobar group, earlier tagged as terrorists by the government’s Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC).

AMLC Secretariat executive director Matthew David said the financial intelligence unit issued two separate resolutions imposing sanctions freeze order against community physician Dr. Maria Natividad Castro and the Al-Khobar.

The AMLC issued Resolution No. TF-63 freezing Castro’s property or funds that are directly related or can be tied to a particular act, plot or threat as well as the property or funds of persons and entities acting on her behalf.

David explained that Republic Act 10168 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 (TFPSA) mandates relevant government agencies – including the Land Transportation Office, Land Registration Authority, Registry of Deeds, Maritime Industry Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines – to implement a freeze order against individuals or groups designated as terrorists by the ATC.

The covered institutions and relevant government agencies, David added, are directed to submit to the AMLC a written return containing the details required under the implementing rules and regulations of the TFPSA.

Castro was designated as a terrorist through Resolution No. 35 dated Dec. 7, 2022 for violations of several provisions under RA 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

Castro, who was arrested last year in her home in San Juan City, has helped in setting up community health centers in Mindanao. She has been red-tagged for her human rights advocacy and for her alleged active role in attaining the mission of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front.

David added that the AMLC also issued Resolution No. TF-64 imposing a freeze order on the property and assets of the Al-Khobar group that was designated as a terrorist organization by the ATC through Resolution No. 36.

As for Al-Khobar, the ATC said it belongs to the local violent extremist groups with links to Daesh that were also designated by the ATC as a terrorist organization in 2020.

The ATC said it is a terrorist group formed out of a dismantled team operating under the Special Operations Group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the early 2000s that preyed on multinational firms operating in South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani provinces and General Santos City.

The Philippines was included anew in the gray list of global dirty money watchdog Financial Action Task Force in June 2021 after it failed to address strategic deficiencies to counter money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.

AMLC chairman and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla earlier said the Philippines missed the January 2023 deadline set by the Paris-based watchdog and has been given until next year to address the remaining concerns.

“We have clearly missed the first deadline. The first deadline was this January. We are now given a year, January 2024,” Medalla said during a forum organized by the Tuesday Club last month.