“Sad but true.”
Broadcaster Gretchen Ho‘s story of a family member’s unpleasant experience at a money exchange counter in Norway prompted others to share similar incidents.
On Monday, October 6, the TV personality shared that one of her family members, who was traveling abroad, was denied service at a foreign exchange counter at Oslo Airport Gardermoen.
Gretchen said that the female staff member behind the counter told her family member, “You came from the Philippines? We cannot exchange your dollars because of the corruption and money laundering in the Philippines.”
The family member and their companions were told to exchange their cash elsewhere, beyond the airport. Gretchen added that her family member was trying to exchange $300 (₱17,500 or 3,000 Norwegian krone).
“Terrible. What are we going to do about this, Pilipinas?” Gretchen wrote in a Facebook post.
In the comments section, she said that she was already “sending a report” to the Philippine Embassy in Norway about the incident.
“They say they will meet with the Ministry on Foreign Affairs,” Gretchen shared.
Her post prompted other Filipinos to share similar experiences when exchanging their money.
“Same encounter last 2023, ganyan din sinabe sa’kin sa airport,” another online user said on X (formerly Twitter).
When Gretchen asked whether the 2023 incident occurred in Oslo, the online user confirmed and said they had gone to the city center to exchange their money instead.
“It happened to me and my brother, too, at the Oslo Airport exchange. But they told us that other money exchangers in Oslo near the central station are less strict (which is true),” another wrote, adding they were in Norway last July.
The online user added that they were given the same reason as Gretchen’s family member.
“I can relate to this experience. Last August, when I traveled to Norway for a cruise, I flew to Oslo and stayed there for two days. I had the same frustrating encounter of being denied when I tried to exchange my US dollars for Norwegian krone at the airport,” a different Facebook user shared.
“I’ve 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’re frequently subjected to extra security checks, so sadly, this wasn’t new to me,” the online user added.
The Facebook user also said that she was told, “You came from a country with a high risk of counterfeit.”
“I went to Oslo last year and experienced the same thing with that particular foreign exchange counter. The reason given to me is Philippines had the highest world risk index (WRI) among 193 countries,” another Pinoy commented.
“Not an isolated case as this also happened to me in 2023 when I first arrived in Oslo. The personnel told me that PH is part of a ‘restricted list of countries’ whose currencies or cash they don’t accept, especially when there’s high risk of counterfeit or fraud activity,” a different online user said.
Another Filipino shared that a similar perception reportedly exists in Canada.
“Sad but true story. PH is one of the countries listed as a financial high-risk here in Canada due to corruption and anti-money laundering issues. I’m working in the finance industry and our CEO named PH as one of the most corrupt countries in the world,” a user said.
Meanwhile, a Filipino in Oslo confirmed Gretchen’s story, saying that “they cannot exchange USD from travelers with Philippine passports that happen to reside in the Philippines.”
“This is due to the strict anti-money laundering rules that they follow, ordered by the EU and NATO,” the online user wrote, referring to the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“This does not only apply to the Philippines, but many countries that are considered high-risk places,” the online user added.
Gretchen responded that the Philippines has been removed from the EU’s list of high-risk third-world countries for money laundering and terrorism financing, based on a report from August 2025.
However, Norway is not a member state of the EU.
Recent corruption allegations
Gretchen’s post, along with similar experiences shared by other Filipinos, comes amid reports of alleged corruption involving flood control projects in the country, following statements from former Department of Public Works and Highways officials.
Previous congressional hearings have revealed officials allegedly receiving kickbacks, contractors flaunting lavish lifestyles, the use of substandard materials in infrastructure projects, and “ghost” projects or initiatives marked as “completed” despite being unfinished or never built.
There have also been reports of contractors with questionable track records still securing government projects.
Millions in cash were reportedly delivered to politicians’ residences as part of the kickback scheme, according to witnesses.
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The Department of Finance has estimated the losses from corruption in flood control projects at P118.5 billion ($2 billion) between 2023 and 2025, although environmental groups like Greenpeace believe the actual amount may be higher.
In response, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the creation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to investigate the corruption in these flood control projects.