Pilipino Star Ngayon
October 8, 2025 | 12:00am
Awws parang naka-brand na sa ating bayan ang ‘corruption.’
Imagine hanggang Oslo, Norway, naranasan ng isang kamag-anak ni Gretchen Ho na hindi sila pinayagang magpa-foreign exchange sa airport dahil ang impression daw ay galing sa corruption and money laundering ang pera ng mga Pinoy.
Post ni Ms. Gretchen : “One of our family members traveling abroad got denied at the foreign exchange counter at the Gardermoen Airport in Oslo, Norway.
“Lady at the counter goes — “You came from the Philippines? We cannot exchange your dollars because of the corruption and money laundering in the Philippines.” This family member (along with a group of friends) told me they were asked to exchange their money elsewhere but not at the airport. Family member was just trying to exchange 300 USD.
“Terrible. What are we going to do about this, Pilipinas?”
Meaning ganun siya talaga kalala.
Pagkatapos ng ilang oras ay nagbigay ng update si Gretchen : I have already spoken with the Philippine Ambassador to Norway. He called me up last night after I emailed an official incident report on what happened to my family member at Gardermoen Airport in Oslo. The Ambassador was surprised. As far as he knows, these incidents shouldn’t be happening. He says he’ll be meeting with the Norwegian foreign ministry to address the issue.
“For context, the Philippines was already taken out of the “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) just this February of 2025. We want to get some clarity on this, if there is a new policy, given recent events, or just a failure to update and disseminate information. I believe getting some clarity would help not just our family, but other Filipinos who have shared similar experiences at the same airport in Oslo, saying they have been declined foreign exchange services upon knowing their country of origin is the Philippines.”