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2026 / Jul

ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 46 CREATING THE PHILIPPINE WORKING GROUP FOR THE ASIA PACIFIC GROUP'S GLOBAL FIFTH ROUND OF MUTUAL EVALUATION PROGRAM July 30, 2026

[ ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 46, July 30, 2026 ]

CREATING THE PHILIPPINE WORKING GROUP FOR THE ASIA PACIFIC GROUP'S GLOBAL FIFTH ROUND OF MUTUAL EVALUATION PROGRAM



WHEREAS,Section 2 of Republic Act (RA) No. 9160, or theAnti-Money Laundering Act of 2001,as amended by RA No. 11521, declares it a policy of the State to ensure that the Philippines shall not be used as a money laundering site for the proceeds of any unlawful activity and, consistent with its foreign policy, extend cooperation in transnational investigations and prosecutions of persons involved in money laundering activities wherever committed, as well as in the implementation of targeted financial sanctions related to the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and financing of terrorism, pursuant to relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council;

WHEREAS,Executive Order (EO) No. 68 (s. 2018), as amended by EO No. 33 (s. 2023), established the National Anti-Money Laundering/Counter Terrorism Financing/Counter-Proliferation Financing Coordinating Committee (NACC) to facilitate inter-agency coordination relative to the country's Anti-Money Laundering/Counter-Terrorism Financing/Counter-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Financing (AML/CTF/CPF) policies;

WHEREAS,under EO No. 33, the National AML/CTF/CPF Strategy (NACS) 2023-2027 was adopted for the purpose of enabling the Philippines to address the International Cooperation Review Group Action Plans and ensure that the Philippine exits the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List, and improve its AML/CTF/CPF regime;

WHEREAS,in February 2025, the Philippine successfully exited the FATF Grey List after demonstrating significant improvement and continued high-level commitment in the country's fight against money laundering and terrorist financing;

WHEREAS,the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), an associate member of FATF, is conducting the Global Fifth Round of Mutual Evaluations (MEs) Program to assess its members' technical compliance with the FATF recommendations and the effectiveness of their AMLC/CTF/CPF efforts;

WHEREAS,as a member of the APG, the Philippines is committed to participate in the Global Fifth Round of MEs, and is schedules to undergo ME in 2027;

WHEREAS,on 15 September 2025, the NACC held a meeting approving the proposal to create an inter-agency working group to prepare for the 2027 ME;

WHEREAS,in line with this initiative, the NACC, through Resolution No. 4 (s. 2025), recommends the creation of a Philippine Working Group for ME to ensure close collaboration among key government agencies for the successful conduct of the 2027 ME; and

WHEREAS,Section 17, Article VII of the Constitution vests in the President the power of control over all Executive departments, bureaus, and offices, and the mandate to ensure the faithful execution of laws;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR.,President of the Republic of the Philippines, by the virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitutions and existing laws, do hereby order:

Section 1. Creation of the Philippine Working Group for the Asia Pacific Group's Global Fifth Round of MEs (PWG-ME).The PWG-ME is hereby created to strengthen inter-agency coordination and ensure comprehensive national preparations for the APG's GLobal Fifth Round of MEs. The PWG-ME shall be responsible for coordinating the submission of data, information, and responses necessary to support the country's compliance with international standards, and for ensuring the active participation of concerned agencies during on-site visits and interview sessions to be conducted by the APG Assessment Team.

The PWG-ME shall be headed by the Office of the President, to be represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs or such other official to be designated by the Executive Secretary. TheBangko Sentral ng Pilipinasand Department of Justice shall act as co-lead agencies of the PWG-ME.

The PWG-ME shall have the following agencies as members:


 a.
Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC);
 b.
Anti-Terrorism Council;
 c.
Armed Forces of the Philippines;
 d.
Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority;
 e.
Bureau of Customs;
 f.
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources;
 g.
Bureau of Internal Revenue;
 h.
Cagayan Economic Zone Authority;
 i.
Cooperative Development Authority;
 j.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources;
 k.
Department of Finance;
 l.
Department of Foreign Affairs;
 m.
Department of Information and Communications Technology;
 n.
Department of the Interior and Local Government;
 o.
Department of Social Welfare and Development;
 p.
Department of Trade and Industry;
 q.
Insurance Commission;
 r.
Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking;
 s.
National Bureau of Investigation;
 t.
National Coordination Center Against Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children and Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Materials;
 u.
National Intelligence Coordinating Agency;
 v.
Office of the Solicitor General;
 w.
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation;
 x.
Philippine Center on Transnational Crime;
 y.
Philippine Coast Guard;
 z.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency;
 aa.
Philippine National Police;
 bb.
Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission; and
 cc.
Securities and Exchange Commission.

The PWG-ME members shall designate their representatives who shall be fully authorized to act and decide for and on behalf of their respective agencies. The AMLC Secretariat shall serve as the Secretariat of the PWG-ME, and shall provide technical and administrative support to the PWG-ME.

Section 2. Duties and Functions of PWG-ME Members.The PWG-ME Members shall perform the following duties and functions:

 a.
Ensure familiarity with the FATF Recommendations, the FATF Methodology, and APG Procedures for the Global Fifth Round of MEs;
 b.
Ensure that their representatives have an undertaking of money laundering and terrorism financing risks based on the results of the 3rdNational Risk Assessment and Sectoral Risk Assessments, and the associated action plans to mitigate such risks;
 c.
Coordinate with their respective operational, intelligence, and legal units to ensure consistent and accurate agency reports;
 d.
Provide timely, detailed, and accurate responses to the Technical Compliance and Effectiveness questionnaires, including the Self-Assessment questionnaires, as required;
 e.
Initiate and implement action plans to address any deficiencies noted during Technical Compliance and Effectiveness Self-Assessments;
 f.
Upon request of the PWG-ME, provide all relevant laws, regulations, circulars, issuances, and other supporting documents, as well as the details of powers and procedures of competent authorities necessary to support the Technical Compliance component of the ME, subject to existing laws on confidentiality, privilege, and the agency's lawful access and custody of records;
 g.
Submit the necessary AML/CTF/CPF-related statistics, qualitative information, case studies, and other supporting information required for the Effectiveness component of the ME, subject to existing laws on confidentiality, privilege, and the agency's lawful access and custody of records;
 h.
Where applicable, identify, brief, and prepare representatives from private stakeholders who shall be interviewed by the APG Assessment Team during the on-site visit and face-to-face meetings;
 i.
Organize and coordinate workshops, writing exercises, meetings, focus group discussions, and other activities aimed at engaging both the government agencies and the private sector, especially high-risk sectors;
 j.
Participate in all ME-related activities, including those of the ME Sub-Working Groups (SWGs);
 k.
Submit to the NACC and the President, through the Office of the Executive Secretary, bi-annual progress reports on the implementation of this Order; and
 l.
Perform all acts incidental and necessary to comply with the requirements of the APG Assessment Team during the conduct of the ME.

Section 3. Creation of SWGs.The PWG-ME members shall form SWGs taked with addressing specific FATF immediate Outcomes (IOs). The following SWGs shall be responsible for providing the corresponding responses to the technical compliance report and effectiveness report for the ME, specific to their respective IOs:

 a.
Risk, Policy, and Coordination;
 b.
International Cooperation;
 c.
Financial Institutions;
 d.
Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions;
 e.
Legal Persons and Legal Arrangements;
 f.
Financial Intelligence;
 g.
Money Laundering Investigation and Prosecution;
 h.
Asset Recovery;
 i.
Terrorist Financing;
 j.
Non-profit Organizations; and
 k.
Proliferation Financing.

Section 4. Oversight and Monitoring.The NACC shall oversee and monitor the activities related to the conduct of the Philippines' ME, including the activities of the PWG-ME and the SWGs. In this regard, the NACC shall:

 a.
Provide overall strategic direction in the implementation of policies and activities to ensure the successful conduct of the ME;
 b.
Recommend policies and set operational targets to relevant agencies to ensure strategic and coordinated actions in line with the NACS and requirements of the ME;
 c.
Ensure that all members of PWG-ME and SWGs fulfill their respective roles and responsibilities in support of the ME;
 d.
Establish timelines and deliverables in the conduct of the ME;
 e.
Call upon any relevant agency, office, or instrumentality to participate in the PWG-ME and/or provide assistance, as may be necessary; and
 f.
Perform such other acts necessary and incidental to ensure PWG-ME's compliance with the requirements of the APG Assessment Team during the during the conduct of the ME.

Section 5. Convergence.All concerned national government agencies and instrumentalities, including government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), are hereby directed to extend full support to and cooperation with the NACC, PWG-ME, and SWGs in the conduct of the ME process.

Section 6. Creation of the Philippine Assessors Pool.Subject to existing laws, rules, and regulations, the Philippine Assessors Pool is hereby created to be composed of government service personnel who are trained as Assessors under the FATF Methodology and ME Procedures. The Philippine Assessors Pool may be called upon to provide guidance to the SWGs in the conduct of the Technical Compliance and Effectiveness Self-Assessment.

Section 7. Implementing Guidelines.The PWG-ME shall formulate and issue guidelines necessary for the effective implementation of this Order.

Section 8. Funding.The funding requirements necessary for the initial implementation of this Order shall be charged against the respective appropriations of concerned government agencies and the respective annual corporate operating budget of concerned GOCCs, subject to availability thereof and compliance with pertinent budgeting and accounting laws, rules, and regulations. Thereafter, the funding requirements necessary for the continued implementation of this Order shall be included in the budget proposals of the covered agencies and GOCCs, subject to the usual budget preparation process.

Section 9. Separability.If any part or provision of this Order is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions not affected shall continue to be in full force and effect.

Section 10. Repeal.All other issuances, rules, regulations, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Order, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 11. Effectivity.This Order shall take effect immediately. 

DONEin the City of Manila, this 30th day of July, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-Six.




(SGD.)FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR.





By the President:



(SGD.)RALPH G. RECTO
Acting Executive Secretary