Gretchen Ho said Philippine ambassador to Norway was ‘surprised’ after she informed him of her family member’s experience of being denied service at a foreign exchange counter at Oslo Gardermoen Airport.
The broadcast journalist earlier said that a foreign exchange counter personnel at the airport refused to exchange her unnamed family member’s money ‘because of the corruption and money laundering in the Philippines.’
As per Ho’s Facebook page on Tuesday, Oct. 7, she received a call from ambassador Enrico T. Fos after she sent an official incident report on the matter.
‘I have already spoken with the Philippine Ambassador to Norway. The Ambassador was surprised,’ she said.
‘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,’ she added.
Ho then underscored the need to clarify the policy on foreign exchange in Oslo, as she pointed out that the Philippines has already been taken out of the ‘grey list’ of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The list includes the ‘jurisdictions under increased monitoring and that are working closely with FATF to address strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.’
Ho further noted in her post that her effort to seek clarity on the matter is not only for her family.
‘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,’ she stated.