Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 4) — No active members of the military are involved in the smuggling of $370 million or around ₱18.74 billion last year, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Wednesday.
AFP Spokesperson BGen. Edgardo Arevalo told a media briefing that they asked the Bureau of Customs for clarification regarding its earlier statement that the couriers of dirty money “are able to escape detection because they are escorted by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) or of the airport police department at the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).”
The Customs bureau clarified that the “raw information” they have now is that retired members of the PNP and the AFP, who are now employed by security agencies, are involved in the scheme, Arevalo said. He added that the bureau is now reviewing various CCTV footage to identify the suspects.
“So malinaw po yan, wala pong miyembro ng AFP na active, and even retired is still being verified, [na involved],” Arevalo said.
[Translation: So that is clear, no active member of the AFP is involved, and even the involvement of retired members is still being verified.]
He added that the Armed Forces will continue looking into the matter to make sure that no soldier or enlisted personnel is aiding the smuggling of foreign currencies.
“Should there be one or two or any number na mapatutunayan natin (that will be proved to be) based on our further and deeper investigation na meron nga, they do not deserve a second more in the Armed Forces,” Arevalo said.
The Department of Finance in a statement on Monday disclosed Customs’ report that an estimated $370 million were sneaked into the country in 2019 by two suspected syndicates. A so-called “Rodriguez Group” brought in about $200.24 million or ₱10.18 billion, while the “Chinese Group” sneaked in $167.97 million, equivalent to about ₱8.54 billion.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez has directed the Bureau of Customs to closely coordinate with the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s investigation into the “unusual influx of foreign currencies.”
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will also start a legislative inquiry into the issue on Thursday. Senator Richard Gordon, the committee chairman, was the first to reveal last week that Chinese nationals who arrived in the country from December 2019 to February this year alone brought in $180 million in cash, or about ₱9.1 billion.
In a privilege speech on Tuesday, Gordon said 47 individuals, mostly Chinese, arrived in the Philippines carrying $447 million or ₱22.7 billion from September last year to February. He said the large sums of cash, which were declared as gambling and investment funds, are a red flag for possible money laundering.
Customs Commissioner Rey Guerrero in his January 29 report to Dominguez that the country’s laws make it easy to bring in foreign currencies. Unlike in the US where attempts to misdeclare or not declare these at all are considered bulk cash smuggling with severe penalties, the Philippines’ laws are “not categorical, and sanctions provided are not deterrent enough,” he said.
