Senate reso seeking to probe abandoned ‘balikbayan’ boxes filed

FILE PHOTO: Bureau of Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz inspects the growing number of “balikbayan” boxes at a warehouse in Sta. Ana, Manila, on Thursday, October 27, 2022, ordering their immediate delivery to their intended recipients. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — A resolution seeking to investigate the circumstances behind “balikbayan” boxes that never reached their destinations here in the Philippines and were abandoned in different warehouses has been filed before the Senate.

In a statement on Sunday, Senator Lito Lapid filed Senate Resolution No. 950, which aims to hold accountable companies behind the abandonment of these boxes, and impose necessary sanctions to prevent further damage to the overseas Filipino workers community.

“The reported abandonment of balikbayan boxes not only undermines the sacrifices of our OFWs but also poses a threat to the well-being of their families, who eagerly anticipate the arrival of these boxes as a connection to their loved ones abroad,” Lapid stressed.

READ: BOC releases nearly 2,000 unpaid, abandoned ‘balikbayan’ boxes

Citing a report from the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Lapid said authorities identified foreign and local companies suspected of abandoning balikbayan boxes sent by OFWs to their loved ones.

The foreign forwarding firms or “consolidators” identified were Kabayan Island Express Cargo, Allwin Cargo, Manila Cargo, Mediacom Express Cargo, Pinoy Network Cargo, GM Multi Services Cargo, Sel Air Cargo, Sky Freight and CMS General Services.

READ: BOC vows all abandoned ‘balikbayan’ boxes to be delivered before Christmas

Meanwhile, the local forwarders or deconsolidators include the Luzon Cargo, FBV Forwarders and Logistics, Cargoflex Haulers, Rensworld Freight Logistics, CMG International Movers, ETMAR International Logistics, KC Door to Door Delivery Services and FGTI Forwarding Services, Cebu Cargo, Pinas Cargo, Goldwings Cargo, Cotabato Cargo, Phil Pacific Cargo, Manila Express, and Al Delta Cargo, among others.

“In the shipment of balikbayan boxes, there are foreign-based “consolidators” that handle the shipments from those sending them from abroad, and there are “deconsolidators” – their counterparts in the Philippines that handle the boxes once they arrive,” Lapid explained.

“Unscrupulous forwarders exploited OFWs through lower shipping fees, but they did not have any counterpart local deconsolidator. These deconsolidators were supposed to undertake the clearance processes and the balikbayan boxes’ delivery,” he added.

Last year, BOC records showed that 11 cases were filed against 10 companies for failure to deliver the balikbayan boxes stored for about seven months to two years found in warehouses. These undelivered packages were reportedly sold online.