FROM HOW IT looks, Norwegian businesses engaged in foreign exchange (forex) don’t seem keen on the idea of trading currencies with people coming from a country that has become notoriously famous for its systemic corruption and money laundering.
In a Facebook post, celebrity sports, travel and lifestyle host Gretchen Ho ranted on the embarrassment accorded to a family member whom she claimed tried to convert foreign currency to kroner through a money changing counter inside the Gardermoen Airport in Oslo.
Kroner is the financial instrument in Norway.
BLOW BY BLOW
According to Ho, the forex counter at the airport bluntly refused to change the 300 USD to kroner just recently.
Her post reads the conversation between the lady manning the money changing shop and her relative.
The lady said: “You came from the Philippines? We cannot exchange your dollars because of the corruption and money laundering in the Philippines,” Ho quoted the store lady.
“The family member (along with a group of friends) told me they were asked to exchange their money elsewhere but not at the airport. Terrible,” she sighed.
ENVOY INFORMED
As a matter of record, the former volleyball superstar turned sports anchor submitted an incident report to the Philippine Ambassador to Norway Enrico T. Fos.
In an apparent effort to prove the legitimacy of her post, Ho assured her “followers” that the account she used in the post is “private” but with all certainty a legitimate account.
“Hindi po ‘to fake.” added Ho in her post which had a photo of the forex counter in Norway.
As of this writing, the post already garnered over 9,000 shares and ten times as many reactions, and comments.
NETIZENS SPEAK
Upon reading Gretchen’s post, Filipino netizens blamed the massive corruption in the government for the predicament that saw Filipinos at the receiving end of what is aptly referred to as discrimination.
Oscar Gomez Jr. said: “Mallit na bagay lang yan, Ms. Gretchen. Sana’y sa inyo na muna manggaling ang pasyensya. Bubuwelta talaga sa mga inosenteng bumabyahe ang ipinamalas sa buong mundo ng mga pulitikong mandarambong sa Pilipinas at ng kanilang mga kamag anak.”
“Isisi natin sa kanila dahil hindi naman tayo madidiskrimina kung hindi dahil sa kawalang-hiyaan nila,” said CV Balido.
NOT ONLY IN OSLO
A netizen who goes by the name Martin Gragaard confirmed the incident — ”They cannot exchange USD from travelers with Philippine passports residing in the Philippines due to the strict anti money laundering rules that they follow ordered by the EU (European Union) and NATO (32-nation members North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
Nadz Gime reported that he has traveled to several European countries and even to Australia where Filipinos are often labeled as a “red flag” because of our country’s reputation. We are frequently subjected to extra security checks… with so many other nationalities witnessing the whole thing. I remember their exact words… “you came from a country with a high risk of counterfeit.”
It appears from the thousands of reactions to Ho’s post that the Philippines is blacklisted in many countries because of its reputation as “money launderer, counterfeiter and corrupt.”
ZALDY CO SPOTTED
Meanwhile, resigned Ako Bicol partylist Rep. Zaldy Co — who has refused to return to the Philippines — has been spotted in Portugal.
According to sources, Co who owns a fleet of air assets, has been travelling via commercial flights.
Since leaving the country on the premise of “medical treatment,” the former partylist congressman known to be a close political ally of the President, has been globe-trotting to evade charges filed in Philippine courts.
Prior to Portugal, Co was also reported to have stayed for weeks in Spain’s most expensive hotel.