Around 9,000 delayed balikbayan boxes delivered — DMW

Around 9,000 balikbayan boxes were finally delivered to their intended recipients with the help of the Bureau of Customs, the Department of Migrant Workers said on Monday.

“Sa ngayon, nakikipagtulungan tayo sa Bureau of Customs, na-facilitate na ang release ng 9,000 boxes, but there are around 5,000 more to go. Half of them are in Davao Port. May deed of donation na, ido-donate sa atin tapos tayo ang mamahagi,” said DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac in Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon. 

(We are currently working with the Bureau of Customs and we were able to facilitate the release of 9,000 boxes, but there are around 5,000 more to go. Half of them are in Davao Port. There’s already a deed of donation so they will donate it to us and we will be the ones to deliver them.) 

During a recent House committee hearing, several Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) lamented the delayed delivery of their hard earned balikbayan boxes to their families in the Philippines. 

One OFW testified that she was asked to pay P30,000 to claim the balikbayan box for her family.

It was found out during the hearing that the allegedly missing balikbayan boxes were declared as abandoned and being put on auction by local freight forwarders. 

The DMW said that another option is to directly visit the warehouse to claim the boxes. 

“Dito sa Manila, we are working on the same deed of donation system, pero more than that, dahil sa Congressional hearing nung isang araw, pwede pala yung system na puntahan mismo sa warehouse. Around 40 boxes were released the other day to different OFWs,” said Cacdac. 

(Here in Manila, we are working on the same deed of donation system, but after the Congressional hearing last time, we found out that you can actually visit the warehouse. Around 40 boxes were released the other day to different OFWs.) —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News