The Department of Justice (DOJ) is enhancing its financial investigation capabilities for environmental crimes in preparation for the 2027 Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) Mutual Evaluation.
In a news release on Thursday, the DOJ announced a partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to conduct a three-day Specialized Training on Financial Investigations for Wildlife and Forest Crime Cases from May 12 to 14.
The training brought together members of the DOJ-National Prosecution Service's Task Force on Environmental Crimes, prosecutors from field offices, DENR personnel, and representatives from key law enforcement agencies, including the National Bureau of Investigation-Environmental Crimes Division and the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group.
The program was sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The initiative aims to strengthen the capacity of prosecutors and investigators to identify, trace, and develop financial evidence linked to environmental crimes, enabling them to pursue not only environmental offenses but also related money laundering cases.
“This initiative is particularly timely given the recognition of environmental crimes as high-risk predicate offenses under the Philippines' National Risk Assessment, highlighting the importance of further strengthening financial investigation and prosecution capabilities in this area,” the DOJ said.
Deputy State Prosecutor Margaret V. Castillo-Padilla, head of the Task Force on Environmental Crimes, delivered a presentation titled “Building Cases That Win: The DC 20 Framework in Practice - Prosecutor-Guided Investigation” during the training.
Drawing from actual prosecution experience, she emphasized the importance of early prosecutor involvement, strong inter-agency coordination, and meticulous evidence gathering in building cases capable of securing convictions.
“We do not file cases to test them. We file cases we are ready to win,” Castillo-Padilla said.
The training covered the wildlife and forest-crime supply chain, financial investigation techniques, evidence development for predicate and related financial crimes, money-laundering typologies, and asset-recovery mechanisms.
Participants also engaged in practical workshops and case-building exercises involving four environmental crime cases, examining potential financial investigation leads and possible money laundering components associated with the underlying offenses.
The DOJ expressed hope that the knowledge and skills gained through the training would strengthen the capacity of prosecutors and investigators to identify, develop, and pursue financial investigations arising from environmental crimes.
“These efforts form part of the Philippine government's continuing commitment to enhancing its money laundering framework and strengthening its preparedness for the 2027 APG Mutual Evaluation,” it said.
Through initiatives such as this, the DOJ reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening environmental justice, combating illicit financial flows, and promoting a whole-of-government approach to ensuring that environmental offenders and those who profit from their unlawful activities are held accountable under the law.
