The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) organized a 3-day training on Target Intelligence Packaging on October 13-15, 2021 at the BOC Office of the Commissioner Conference Room, BOC Interim Training and Development Division Training Room, and via Microsoft Teams.

As part of the Memorandum of Agreement signed by Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero and AMLC Executive Director Mel George B. Racela, joint trainings are to be undertaken by the two parties to ensure the inter-operability of their respective personnel.

The workshop is substantial to accomplish both agencies’ objective of facilitating investigations and prosecutions of persons suspected of money laundering, smuggling, and financial terrorism.

The 3-day training provided all the participants from AMLC, Passenger Service-Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Mactan Cebu International Airport, Legal Service of the Revenue Collection Monitoring Group, Post Clearance Audit Group, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service of the Intelligence Group, and the Enforcement and Security Service of the Enforcement Group a deeper understanding of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, Financial Investigations, Combating Financing of Terrorism, and international cooperation of the Philippines on Anti-Money Laundering.

It also served as a platform for the BOC and AMLC to jointly identify the information needed in pursuing cases against money laundering and other predicate offenses such as smuggling.

During the last day of training, the AMLC donated a Multi-Currency Discriminator (Bill Counter) Machine to the BOC which will strengthen the capabilities of the Bureau in the inventory and monitoring of foreign currencies brought by passengers or those intercepted in parcels.

Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero also presented the BOC and AMLC Coordinating Center located at Ninoy Aquino International Airport which serves as a quick-action center where meetings, case conferences, and road mappings may be held.

In his closing remarks, Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero thanked the AMLC for its continuous support to the Bureau. He also expressed the Bureau’s commitment in the stringent implementation of government initiatives to remove the Philippines from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) “grey list”.