BOC launches online tracker for backlog 'balikbayan' boxes

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has launched an online tracking portal for its door-to-door Balikbayan box deliveries, aiming to clear the backlog of packages sent over the years by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to their families in the Philippines.

In an advisory on Tuesday, the BOC urged the public to access https://customs.gov.ph/home/overseas-filipino-worker-ofw/, noting that the site is continuously updated with each door-to-door rollout.

The agency also reminded the public that no payment of fees will be required for the delivery of the boxes and warned OFWs to carefully select their freight forwarders to avoid scams involving Balikbayan boxes.

Earlier, BOC announced that more than 100,000 Balikbayan boxes in storage had been shipped out of their warehouses just days before Christmas.

Many of these boxes had reportedly been stored for years, with some suffering some damage due to long-term storage and possible expiry of perishable items.—MCG, GMA Integrated News