Airport authorities reiterated their call to travelers not to transport currency exceeding $10,000 or its equivalent in Philippine pesos without proper declaration.
This reminder was issued after personnel from the Office of Transportation Security (OTS) recently intercepted a passenger at Ninoy Aquino International Airport—Terminal 3. The passenger was found in possession of dollar bills totaling ₱16,028,372.79.
The cash belonged to a passenger bound for Hong Kong via Cathay Pacific Flight CX912.
OTS officer Yvonne Dujali was conducting a routine security screening at the baggage makeup area when she noticed an opaque image on the X-ray monitor. To confirm its contents, Dujali and other officers called the passenger through the airline to witness a manual baggage inspection.
During the manual baggage inspection, they discovered bundles of US dollar bills, prompting Dujali to contact the Philippine National Police—Aviation Security Group. The latter subsequently coordinated with the Bureau of Customs to handle the situation properly.
OTS Administrator Undersecretary Crizaldo Nieves emphasized that the incident reflects the agency’s commitment to the Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista’s goal of ensuring safe and secure transportation for all.
“The cooperation and collaboration among airport authorities have been effective in thwarting not only acts of unlawful interference but also other illegal activities that may occur at the airport and other transportation facilities in the country,” Nieves stated.
Recently, Customs – NAIA deployed K-9 sniffing dogs to combat the increasing number of passengers attempting to smuggle large amounts of cash out of the country.
District Collector Yasmin Mapa coordinated with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to establish an agreement to strengthen efforts against syndicated money laundering.
Authorities have noted that many people are caught smuggling large sums of currency without proper declaration, often to evade taxes or engage in illegal activities.
In a recent incident, a female Chinese passenger was apprehended by security at the final check while carrying US dollars.
The government requires faithful declaration and completion of Foreign Currency Declaration Forms for the importation and exportation of foreign currency exceeding USD 10,000 or its equivalent.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Port of NAIA are also implementing cross-border measures concerning the transportation of currencies and monetary instruments in relation to the implementation of the eTravel System, a digital platform for collecting data on passengers arriving in and departing from the Philippines.