https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1249870

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the interception of PHP441 million in cash from 11 suspects at Mactan-Cebu International Airport over the weekend raised serious concerns about potential election-related illegal activities, including vote-buying and money laundering.

“The involvement of multiple foreign nationals strongly suggests the alarming possibility of foreign interference in our sovereign electoral process,” the AFP said in a statement on Sunday.

It assured Filipinos of its commitment to safeguard the integrity of democratic institutions and that it stands prepared to provide full support to the ongoing thorough investigation.

“We laud the vigilance and rapid response of the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies, whose actions may have averted a significant threat to our democracy,” the military said.

The bills were contained in seven trolley bags and discovered between 11:30 p.m. on May 9 and 4:14 a.m. on May 10.

"Security Screening Officer (SSO) Missy Ayessa Cafe, the X-ray operator at the time of the incident, detected an unusual image on the X-ray monitor. This prompted her to call the attention of SSO Rosendo Anoos and an officer from the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Unit. They then discovered that the 7 trolley bags contained bundles of cash," the Office for Transportation Security said in its report.

The cash were set to be flown aboard private aircraft flight RP-C9968 bound for Manila. The 11 suspects were composed of six Chinese, one Malaysian, one Indonesian, one Kazakhstani, and two Filipino nationals.

The group arrived on a van and allegedly attempted to bypass standard security protocols.

No one was able to provide valid documentation for the attempted transport of the cash, which violated Section 28 of Comelec Resolution No. 11104, prohibiting carrying or possessing money exceeding PHP500,000, along with campaign paraphernalia and/or corroborated evidence.

The so-called money ban is in effect May 10 to 12.

“We call on all citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities as we work together to safeguard the peaceful and credible conduct of the upcoming elections,” the AFP said.