Manila airport workers have been banned from wishing travelers a Merry Christmas, a newspaper said Thursday.

The warning was issued by airport general manager Alfonso Cusi who claimed the polite yuletide greeting was a `not so subtle way of asking for money` from arriving passengers, the Manila Standard Today reported on its front page.

The directive, which is issued every year to airport employees, aims to `prevent airport personnel and security officers from soliciting money from passengers,` Cusi was quoted as saying.

Anyone found violating the order will be punished, he said.

The paper said the edict is usually ignored, adding: `Critics say there are other means of shaking down passengers aside from saying Merry Christmas.`

November and December are traditionally peak months at Manila airport with 897,820 arrivals for the two months last year.