By Erika Mae P. Sinaking

THE government will sustain self-initiated investigations into suspicious transactions linked to flood control funds as it seeks to keep the Philippines off the international “dirty money” list, Malacañang said on Monday.

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has ordered continuous probes to hold those involved accountable and prevent the country from slipping back onto the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring for money laundering.

“The freezing of assets is important,” Ms. Castro told a news briefing in Filipino. “Anyone involved in corruption should have their assets frozen.”

She added that investigative agencies and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) have been instructed to step up coordination.

Ms. Castro said the AMLC is acting on its own, allowing it to pursue investigations even without a formal complaint and move swiftly to seek court approval to freeze assets tied to suspicious transactions.

“If they identify assets that must be frozen, they can immediately… file a petition with the Court of Appeals,” she said.

The Palace remarks followed a warning from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli M. Remolona, Jr. that the multibillion-peso graft involving flood control projects poses a risk to the Philippines’ standing with the FATF.

The country left the FATF gray list in February 2025 after addressing deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing framework.

The FATF is expected to conduct its next major evaluation of the Philippines in 2027.

The AMLC has secured the freezing, preservation, or surrender of assets valued at about P24.7 billion linked to the investigation, according to an accomplishment report submitted to Malacañang last week by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.

The assets include 229 motor vehicles, 394 insurance policies, 161 real properties, 16 e-wallet accounts and 10 aircraft allegedly connected to irregularities in flood control projects.

Asked whether the administration plans to seek additional legislation to strengthen enforcement, Ms. Castro said addressing any gaps in the law falls under Congress’ mandate.

She also said it was too early to assess whether the cases would fail, citing investigations by the Office of the Ombudsman and Department of Justice as evidence of the government’s resolve to pursue accountability.

THE Palace on Monday urged the camp of Mary Jane Veloso to formalize her plea for clemency by sending it through official channels, following the circulation of an open letter from the death row inmate seeking a presidential pardon.

“It would be better if this [appeal] will be made personally or sent directly to the President so that he could decide on it,” Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro told reporters in a news briefing in Filipino.

In an open letter, Ms. Veloso renewed her appeal for her freedom, citing her parents’ health and her desire to be with her children as the primary reasons for her plea.

She said that her family has experienced difficulties in visiting her in prison, having to travel eight to 10 hours.

Ms. Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2010 with 2.6 kilograms of heroin concealed in a suitcase, she claims that she was coerced to be a drug mule.

She was spared from death row in 2024 after Manila and Jakarta signed an agreement transferring her custody and is currently being detained in the Correctional Institute for Women in the Philippines. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking

THE Palace on Monday said there is no basis to label a senator’s statement about surrendering the Kalayaan Island Group to China as treasonous.

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro told a Palace briefing that treason requires the existence of an “actual state of war,” which does not apply to the Philippines’ current situation.

“As we know, one of the elements of treason is the existence of an actual state of war. At present, we are not in a state of actual war,” Ms. Castro said in Filipino during a Palace briefing.

She added that debates in the Senate, even on sensitive foreign policy issues, fall within lawmakers’ official duties and are protected by freedom of expression.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tristan Tarriela earlier said statements perceived as defending China’s position in the territorial dispute could be considered as an “act of treason,” although he did not name any individual.

Senator Rodante D. Marcoleta was later cited for reportedly saying the Philippines should give up the Kalayaan Island Group, a remark the lawmaker said was taken out of context.

Ms. Castro did not address the substance of the statement but said the government continues to assert Philippine sovereignty over the Kalayaan Island Group, which forms part of the country’s claimed territory in the West Philippine Sea, an area with overlapping claims by several countries, including China. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking