The Office for Transportation Security (OTS) reported that Security Screening Officers (SSOs) recently discovered P250,000 in undeclared cash during routine screening last Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 from an outbound passenger.
According to OTS officials, the undeclared cash belonged to a US citizen passenger on Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight PR466 bound for Incheon, South Korea.
The report stated that SSO Roland Espartero was performing routine X-ray screening when he noticed an opaque image on the X-ray display. He immediately alerted SSO Daryl Hannah Fabonan to conduct a manual baggage examination.
During the manual check, they discovered a large sum of cash inside the baggage. They promptly referred it to their duty checkpoint supervisor, Laurina Pedro, who then notified the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSEGROUP).
Officers from the PNP-AVSEGROUP coordinated with the Bureau of Customs and invited the passenger to the BoC office for questioning.
During the inquiry, the BoC official said the passenger was unaware that carrying such a large amount of Philippine currency was prohibited. However, after complying with the BoC’s rules for carrying more than P50,000 in cash, the traveler was eventually allowed to board the flight.