The mother of journalist Gretchen Ho, a Filipino tourist, was not allowed to exchange money at Oslo Airport after being told that the Philippines was still on the money-laundering watchlist.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on October 9, the airport forex stall used an old and outdated list that still places the Philippines on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. The DFA clarified that the country was removed from this list as of February 2025, after implementing stricter banking and financial rules.
The Philippine Embassy in Oslo has contacted Norwegian officials to fix the list and ensure that the Philippines will not be implicated in a “high risk country again.” This happened after Ho posted that his mother was refused to exchange $300 (approximately ₱17,400) at a forex counter.
The DFA clarified that the rejection was due to outdated information, and not due to current policy.
Ang pagkakatanggal ng Pilipinas sa FATF grey list ngayong taon ay nagtapos sa halos apat na taon ng masusing pagbabantay sa sistema laban sa money laundering at terrorism financing. Itinuturing ito ng gobyerno bilang malaking reforma sa financial system ng bansa.
