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All abandoned balikbayan boxes shipped by Island Kabayan Express Cargo LLC and Win Balikbayan Cargo LLC will be delivered to their recipients within the next four weeks
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This was assured by BOC, which says it won’t collect any fee for the delivery of boxes
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For the long term, BOC said it is pushing for policies to thwart fraudulent balikbayan box schemes of unscrupulous consolidators abroad
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These measures include the creation of a Balikbayan Box One-Stop-Shop and the drafting of an inter-agency agreement among the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Migrant Workers, and BOC to stop such illicit activities
All abandoned balikbayan boxes shipped by Island Kabayan Express Cargo LLC and Win Balikbayan Cargo LLC will be delivered within one to four weeks, depending on the location of the recipients, according to the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
The delivery would take one week for those in the National Capital Region, one to two weeks for those in Luzon, and two to four weeks for those in the Visayas and Mindanao, BOC said in a statement.
BOC said the around 8,000 balikbayan boxes have been unclaimed for about seven months and have been stored in warehouses in Manila and Bulacan.
Claimants only need to present any government ID, copy of the receipt and/or authorization letter if the boxes are received by their representative.
BOC said it will not collect any fee for the delivery of the balikbayan boxes, as it has allocated resources for this initiative for the welfare of overseas Filipino workers and their families.
Last year, BOC, together with the Door-to-Door Consolidators Association of the Philippines and Atlas Express, also facilitated the delivery to recipients of around 400 balikbayan boxes originally processed by CMG and then abandoned at Customs due the lockdown, which prevented the delivery of the boxes to recipients.
For the long-term, BOC said it is pushing for policies to thwart fraudulent balikbayan box schemes by unscrupulous consolidators abroad.
BOC met recently with the Department of Trade and Industry-Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (DTI-FTEB) to discuss collaborative measures. FTEB oversees the accreditation of sea freight forwarders, including those handling balikbayan box shipments.
These measures include, among other safeguards, the creation of a Balikbayan Box One-Stop-Shop and the drafting of an inter-agency agreement among DTI, Department of Migrant Workers, and BOC to stop such illicit activities.
BOC also recommended that DTI-FTEB review and amend the Philippine Shippers Bureau’s Administrative Order No. 06, series of 2005; reinstitute the accreditation of deconsolidators with BOC; and file appropriate cases against errant freight forwarders.
Issued more than 15 years ago, AO 06-2005 prescribes revised rules on sea freight forwarding. DTI-FTEB last year conducted public hearings with stakeholders on its proposed new rules on sea freight forwarding, but has yet to issue the final order.
READ: DTI proposes new sea freight forwarding rules
In a press conference, Acting Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz urged OFWs to check the BOC website for the list of consolidators and deconsolidators “with good standing” to ensure they are dealing with legitimate balikbayan box shippers.
He said BOC has also coordinated with the DMW to also provide the same list on their website. Aside from these, DTI in its website also provides the list of accredited sea freight forwarders.
