New guidelines on balikbayan box inspection out next week

(Updated 7:27 p.m.) Commissioner Alberto Lina of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) will sign next week the new guidelines on the inspection of balikbayan boxes.

The signing will take place on Wednesday, September 2, after the BoC finalizes the details of the draft on Tuesday, Commissioner for the Internal Administration Group Arturo Lachica said Friday.

The new guidelines will then be issued to concerned branches of the bureau during the  District Collector's Conference next Friday.

Lachica made the announcement on the same day OFWs were having a "zero-remittance day" to protest the planned inspection on balikbayan boxes and the supposedly burdensome taxes being imposed by the BoC on packages from migrant workers.

Lachica said they will focus on having no physical inspections on balikbayan boxes, as ordered by President Benigno Aquino III after the planned manual inspection drew flak from overseas Filipino workers.

Instead, mobile X-ray machines will be used to inspect the estimated 1,500 containers of balikbayan boxes shipped every month.

The X-ray machines are parked next to an inspection area beside the containers, which will be lowered one by one to pass through the x-ray arm by the side of the machine.

While not all the X-rays used will provide full-color scans of the containers, Lina said their analysts are capable enough to detect illegal items in the black-and-white results.

"Sa unang tingin pa lang nila, silhouette pa lang, alam na nila. Kung may television, may refrigerator, etc,," he explained.

If  suspicious items are found within the initial scans, the containers will then be lowered and inspected by smaller X-ray machines, Lachica said.

"Kung may cargos doon na medyo may derogatory findings, we will segregate the containers and let the cargo undergo another X-ray, mas maliit... Sakaling may findings pa, that's the only time we will let the cargo go under physical examination," Lachica explained.

Lina said each scan takes 15 minutes to complete, meaning their six X-ray machines can process "40 containers per hour."

He added that they "will be acquiring more" X-ray machines to add to the 30 machines present "all over the country," as only 90 percent of the mobile units are in working condition.

"Depende sa aming budget. Tsaka kung anong kailangan, sabi ng pangulo, 'di bumili pa... Remember, hindi lang naman balikbayan ang inex-ray diyan. Iba-iba 'yan," Lina said.

He remained firm on the necessity of inspecting boxes.

"May halo na commercial 'yung container. Hindi lahat 'yan for OFW. May gumagamit ng word na balikbayan, 'yung mga pumunta sa abroad na hindi naman balikbayan, isasabay doon sa mga balikbayan box. 'Yun ang problema natin," he said.

Both Lachica and Lina said no taxes will be imposed on the "personal effects of no commercial value" found inside balikbayan boxes.

Wala sa ngayon... We don't have a specific rule about that, but we don't collect," Lachica said.

Neither Lina nor Lachica commented on the proposed increase in the tax exemption on balikbayan boxes in Congress, saying it's better left to lawmakers pushing for it. —KBK, GMA News