NAIA passenger caught with P1M

MANILA, Philippines – Customs officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) seized P1 million in 1,000-peso bills from a Japanese national who was about to board Thai Airlines TG 621 bound for Osaka at 2 p.m. yesterday.

Aviation personnel turned over 48-year-old Hisao Sakan to customs police officer-in-charge Jun Moralde along with the cash found in his possession at the final check-in of the airport departure area.

Sakan, a real estate agent from Shiga-Ken Kukatsu-Shi, Nishiyagura, is now under investigation while the bills are being counted prior to seizure in favor of the government.

Tess Roque, deputy collector for passenger services, said Sakan was carrying P600,000 in his hand-carried case, while another P400,000 was found inside his black trolley bag.

Roque said Central Bank regulations require that a departing passenger could bring out of the country only P10,000, or $10,000.

Any amount in excess is subject to confiscation, even if declared, Roque added.

She said after a final counting of the bills, her office will issue a seizure order to have the cash found on Sakan impounded.

Sakan, who was provided with an interpreter, said he arrived in the country last Monday with thousands of yen in his possession. He said he exchanged the yen to pesos and allegedly tried to deposit the money at Metrobank but was not allowed to because he is a foreigner.

The Japanese realtor said he then decided to bring the money back to Japan.

At the airport, Sakan was able to pass through the initial X-ray without the cash being detected. However, at the final check-in, aviation police discovered the cash.

Speaking through his interpreter, Sakan said two security personnel near the X-ray machine brought him to the toilet and forcibly took some of the bills out of his carry-on case although he tried to plead with them not to get the cash.

“Wag, wag (don’t, don’t),” he said in halting Tagalog, and tried to call for help, but nobody appeared to have heard him.

The Japanese alleged that about P40,000 was taken from him.