BOC files complaint vs. firm over 36,000 abandoned balikbayan boxes

Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno on Friday filed a complaint with the Department of Justice (DOJ) against a registered freight forwarder over the abandonment of around 36,000 balikbayan boxes.

According to the Bureau of Customs, the complaint alleged that Makati Express Cargo Inc. (MECI) violated Section 1430 and 1403 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), in relation to Sections 1226 and 800, as well as the applicable customs regulations governing third-party registration, importer accreditation, and consolidated balikbayan shipments.

“Ang mga boxes na ito ay hindi lamang simpleng pasabulong ng mga kababayan natin na nagsasakripisyo, nagtatrabaho sa abroad,” he said in a briefing.

(These boxes are not merely simple packages from our fellow Filipinos who sacrifice and work abroad.)

“Ito ay simbolo ng kanilang patuloy na koneksyon sa kanilang mga pamilya, mahal sa buhay. Patuloy itong nagpapakita ng lakas ng pagmamahal nila at pagmamalasakit sa kanilang mga kamag-anak,” he added.

(It is a symbol of their continuing connection to their families and loved ones. It continues to show the strength of their love and care for their relatives.)

The BOC said the complaint stemmed from the firm’s alleged failure to process, claim, and facilitate the balikbayan boxes that arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), the Port of Cebu, and the Port of Davao from 2024 to 2025.

It said that records show that a total of 117 containers containing 36,836 Balikbayan Boxes shipments were left unclaimed and declared abandoned.

According to Nepomuceno, the BOC has delivered almost all the balikbayan boxes to the intended recipients.

“Sa ngayon, ‘yung mga balikbayan boxes na 'yan ay naparating na natin halos lahat. Mahigit 4,000 boxes na lang… and hindi nade-deliver,” he said.

(At present, we have managed to deliver almost all of those balikbayan boxes. Only more than 4,000 boxes remain… and they have not been delivered.)

“Matatapos din natin ‘yan (we will finish that),” he added.

In April, the Department of Finance (DOF) reported that 35,549 abandoned balikbayan boxes had been delivered to their intended recipients nationwide

Of the total abandoned shipments, 65 containers containing around 19,671 boxes were consigned through the MICP, 50 containers containing 16,431 boxes arrived through the Port of Cebu, and two containers containing 724 boxes were shipped to the Port of Davao.

“Meron sila dapat obligasyon na makarating sa mga pamilya ng OFWs ‘yung mga boxes na tinanggap nilang ipapadala sa abroad papunta dito sa mga pamilya. Hindi nila tinupad ito,” Nepomuceno said.

(They have the obligation to ensure that the boxes entrusted to them for shipment from abroad reach the families of the OFWs here. They failed to fulfill this.)

The BOC also alleged that MECI misrepresented material information in its registration records, failed to faithfully disclose its foreign consolidators, and continued accepting or processing Balikbayan shipments despite prior abandoned cargoes and operational deficiencies.

Nepomuceno said the firm is only one of 11 companies that may face charges. They are seeking to file complaints against eight others by June.

GMA News Online reached out to MECI for comment and will publish it once available. —AOL, GMA News