DFA clarifies Gretchen Ho’s mother’s currency exchange issue in Norway
- Gretchen Ho revealed her mother was denied a dollar exchange at Oslo Airport due to an outdated grey list
- The counter staff allegedly cited corruption and money laundering concerns in the Philippines
- DFA confirmed that the Philippines has already been removed from the FATF and EU grey lists in 2025
- Norwegian authorities promised to update their records and delist the Philippines from the high-risk category
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The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has addressed the recent incident involving a family member of TV host and former volleyball star Gretchen Ho, who was denied a dollar exchange at Gardermoen Airport in Oslo, Norway.
Source: Instagram
In a social media post, Ho shared that her mother “got denied” when she tried to exchange US dollars at a foreign exchange counter.
“You came from the Philippines? We cannot exchange your dollars because of the corruption and money laundering in the Philippines,” the airport personnel reportedly told her.
Responding to the issue, the DFA explained that the exchange booth in Oslo was using an outdated “grey list” under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
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“The foreign exchange stall at Oslo airport was following an outdated list that still included the Philippines,” the DFA clarified.
The FATF list identifies nations with weaknesses in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing systems.
However, the DFA emphasized that the Philippines was officially removed from the FATF grey list in February 2025 and later from the European Union’s version of the list in August of the same year.
To address the situation, Norwegian Foreign Ministry officials assured the DFA that they would coordinate with the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway to update and delist the Philippines from the list of countries considered high-risk for money laundering or terrorist financing.
This development comes as the Philippines continues to deal with corruption scandals, including one involving billions of pesos in flood-mitigation funds that recently caused major market losses, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Gretchen Ho, on the other hand, is a television host and former volleyball player in the Philippines. She played volleyball for the Ateneo Lady Eagles from 2008 to 2013. Her popularity rose when she became a co-host on Umagang Kay Ganda, TV Patrol, and The Score. Gretchen used to be in a relationship with television personality Robi Domingo, who is now happily married to Maiqui Pineda.
As previously reported by KAMI, TV host and former athlete Gretchen Ho shared her joy on social media as she posted photos of her family happily exploring their newly blessed farm. The pictures showed Gretchen and her loved ones spending time together on the vast property, which was also blessed by a priest who celebrated mass for the family. In her post, Gretchen quoted a Bible verse: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). She revealed that having a farm had been her dream since childhood, one she never thought would come true so early.
In another report, Gretchen Ho took the time to visit the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Quezon City. She personally bid goodbye to the building and its iconic tower which are set to be dismantled. The Kapatid broadcaster shared photos from her visit, where she bumped into several Kapamilya broadcast journalists and employees. She also wrote a meaningful message regarding her career, which began in ABS-CBN.
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Source: KAMI.com.gh
