Filipino Diplomat Caught Shoplifting in USFK PX
Journalist Robert Neff has the scoop on a diplomatic dispute between USFK and the Phillipine government over one of their diplomats who was caught shoplifting in the Yongsan PX:
Sources inside the U.S. Provost Office (military police) have revealed to The Korea Herald that a highly placed foreign diplomat was recently caught on camera shoplifting at the Yongsan Military base PX (Post Exchange) shopping center.
Identifying the suspect only as coming from the Philippines, the source said military police were considering what action to take, if any, in the theft of a karaoke machine and a bottle of Gucci perfume.
The alleged offense took place last November but has only recently been revealed.
What is interesting about this incident is the response that USFK Commander General Burwin Bell has had in response to the shoplifting. He has banned Philippine diplomats from using other Yongsan facilities such as the Hartel House over the incident. The dispute gained enough momentum that the Secretary of Foreign Affairs for the Philippines quietly slipped into Korea on an “unofficial visit” to meet with General Bell:
The June 15 arrival of Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alberto Gatmaitan Romulo, on an unofficial visit to Seoul, has caused some speculation as to the true nature of his visit. Sources suggest Romulo’s two-day visit was to discuss, among other things, the shoplifting incident and smooth over relations with General Bell. During his visit here, Romulo met with Deputy Chief of Staff UNC/USFK Stephen Sargeant.
Which as Robert Neff mentioned, it is strange for a nation’s Foreign Affairs Secretary to meet with a Deputy Chief of Staff and not the USFK commander. All of this leads me to believe there is a lot more going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about if the USFK commander possibly snubbed the Foreign Affairs Secretary of a regional US ally in Asia over the shoplifting incident.
I’m speculating here of course, but it appears General Bell may be unhappy that the Philippine government is not properly punishing the diplomat involved in the shoplifting and is thus implementing measures to show the Philippine Embassy how unhappy he is. Anyway it is good to see the USFK commander stand up against shoplifting. If the average USFK servicemember can be held accountable for shoplifting than diplomats should be held accountable as well.
Anyway you can read more on this over at Robert Neff’s posting at the Marmot’s Hole as well.
[…] [GI Korea] Philippino Diplomat Caught Shoplifting in USFK PX Published: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 23:22:50 +0000 Journalist Robert NeffÂ*has the scoop on a diplomaticÂ*disputebetween USFK and the Phillipine government over one of their diplomats who was caught shoplifting in the Yongsan PX: Sources inside the U.S. Provost Office (military police) have revealed to The Korea Herald that a highly placed foreign diplomat was recently caught on camera shoplifting at the Yongsan Military […] Read More… […]
On a somewhat related note…
I used to know a guy who worked in the ration control office. He said one of the most perplexing problems he ever faced was the Honor Guard. They had what amounted to diplomatic immunity so he couldn't touch them – in spite of them being some of the worst black marketers around. And it wasn't just an occasional bottle of booze and carton of cigarettes. These guys would go for the big ticket electronic items.
Well on that note I know My wife will not go to Camp Stanley with me anymore because she is tired of being approached by black marketeers at every turn
I stayed there for 6 weeks once and everynight the same woman who worked in the Commissary would load up on candies, soups and verious other items in duplicate and pay for them at the electronics register
Why would she not buy these things in the Commissary? Maybe she wasnt actually authorized to shop at all? Yes?
And another woman always got a beer like package rapped in AFEES Bags from the service counter everynight
Ive been approached by AFees workers to buy Alchohol for them
This crap just goes on and on and makes me wonder maybe we should not hire locals to run these stores
[…] Drop: Philippino Diplomat Caught Shoplifting in USFK PXPosted 18 hours agoJournalist Robert Neff has the scoop on a diplomatic dispute between USFK and […]
GI,
Just being picky here but the correct spelling for the first word in the title of your article is Filipino… not Philippino. Just being a spelling freak!
Tim in Angeles sendzzzzzzzzzzzzz
On related note, I once sponsored Philippine Air Force LTC at my job. He told me that his pay was about $1000 per month and which included his flight pay and housing allowance. I can not imagined how much these Pinoy diplmats make, but it might come close to what their AF O-5 makes. Of course there has to be some COLA for those who live in and around Itaewon area. I like to see what this RP diplomat's alibi will be. "I ran out of money but I want to entertain with Kaoroke machine."
Tim,
Thanks it has been corrected. The WordPress spell check doesn't check titles.
CPT Kim,
I'm sure Tim can attest to this since he lives in the Philippines but a $1,000 bucks a month goes a long way there. I'm sure he gets a big COLA upgrade being stationed in Korea. He is just trying to make a quick buck like all the ajummas and PX employees Me noted from the blackmarket system.
What gets me about the blackmarketers is that it is so obvious. How in the world does CID let them keep getting away with it? It seems like every 6 months they announce an arrest of some blackmarketers to show they are doing something while every day if you just stand at the gates of the camp or just outside the PX you can see obvious blackmarketing going on.
As far as why Koreans are working in the PX is a SOFA issue. The SOFA allows them to work there and when you hear the nonsense about the unfair SOFA agreement remember that.
Hey GI,
No problem on the spelling correction. That's sort of my thing.
As far as the money goes, you can be sure that they are getting hefty allowances while they are there in Seoul. Also, $1000 is a lot here but depending on how many mouths you are feeding it could stretch only so far.
With regard to the blackmarket, bottom line is you don't see AAFES giving any of that money back after the goods are bought and paid for so why should USFK pay more than lip service to something that has, and will continue to, make lots of money for MWR? The answer, in my opinion after years of seeing just what you described, is that enforcement could be at least a little more stiff but even at that, the system would be overloaded with Korean civilians as well as GI's who black market on a fairly regular basis. So, as long as there is a market in Korea for fairly cheap or goods unattainable but desired, the black market will thrive, just as prostitution has thrived in Seoul even after the "crackdown" of the last years… but that's another story entirely.
I think we shooud get past the hole speling issu
Me,
Soooooooooo funny! Hahahaha…. Seriously though, there are so many people in America today that cannot spell correctly. I visit many blogs and am astounded by the number of people who cannot spell even basic words or use your in place of you're. It's almost like an epidemic. That's it. Just wanted to say that.
i'm a DAC and USFK is offering me a promotion and transfer to yongsan garrsion for 2 years, with full LQA.
i'm currently working for the amry in the mainland.
any thoughts.
Yongsan is a nice post with all the creature comforts of America, but you have to be ready to deal with living in a major megaopolis like Seoul every day. The air pollution is bad and the traffic is even worse. If you can deal with that while also acclimating to Korean culture than it might be a good assignment for you. Korea is not a bad assignment but it is not for everyone.
[…] the allegations that Filipino foreign diplomat was caught shopliftng at the US PX? Initially the Filipino Embassy in Seoul denied the allegations, but now they have […]
[…] The original plan was to have the base relocated by 2008. However, technical problems and South Korean governmental delay games pushed the date of the relocation back to 2010, then 2013 and then finally back to 2012. Now there is even attempts by the South Korean government to push the relocation all the way back to 2015. With such governmental delay games being played out it is easy to see that Yongsan Garrison is probably going to be around for many more years to come and I can think of quite a few people who will be happy about that. […]
You want the coolest possible spelling of Filipino? It’s Pilipino. Tagalog doesn’t have an F sound.
#5 nobody knows how to spell filifino
Ways to Spell Filipino and Their Meanings
Philly Bean, oh! – no way to afford that gourmet coffee
Full a pee, know? – can you tell I got a bladder infection
Phillip Eno – Brian Eno’s Pinoy half-brother
Fool ape he know – he must work at the stupid zoo
FeLaBeNO – iron, lanthanum, beryllium, nitrogen, oxygen
Feel happy, no? – silly tourist wasn’t watching his camera
Oh my God, why is she in the PX anyway? My wife and grown daughter is vacationing in Korea right now and can not set foot inside the PX or commissary. They spent twenty-five years helping me in my career and they can not go into a military store but Philippine citizens can. This kind of sucking up to foreign national really pissed me off. But the system want allow my wife and daughter in the stores.
Oh my God, why is she in the PX anyway? My wife and grown daughter is vacationing in Korea right now and can not set foot inside the PX or commissary. They spent twenty-five years helping me in my career and they can not go into a military store but Philippine citizens can. This kind of sucking up to foreign national really pissed me off. But the system want allow my wife and daughter in the stores.