At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), a vigilant security officer from the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) detected P250,000 in undeclared cash from an American passenger on February 9, 2025. The discovery occurred during a routine screening at NAIA Terminal 1 in Parañaque City when an unusual image appeared on the X-ray monitor, prompting a manual inspection that revealed the cash.
The passenger, unaware of the regulations requiring travelers to declare foreign currency over USD10,000 and Philippine pesos over 50,000, was subsequently invited to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) office for further inquiry. After complying with the BOC’s requirements and obtaining authorization from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the passenger was permitted to take the cash out of the country.
Kim Marquez of the OTS explained that such discoveries are incidental during manual inspections triggered by unclear X-ray images. The OTS emphasized the importance of passengers adhering to declaration processes to avoid inconveniences, with OTS Administrator Crizaldo Nieves stressing the need for approval from relevant government agencies when carrying large sums of money.