The Bureau of Customs (BOC), in coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), will file criminal charges against 11 "deconsolidators" or companies responsible for the long-abandoned balikbayan boxes of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said Friday, January 23.

"Idedemanda ng BOC, sa tulong ng NBI. Magkasama kami sa pag-iimbestiga at sa pagfa-file ng kaso laban sa mga nagkasala,” Nepomuceno told reporters.

The abandoned balikbayan boxes are now under the custody of the BOC, which has committed to ensure their delivery to the rightful owners.

Nepomuceno said many of the boxes should have been released months or even years ago.

“‘Yung ipinagkatiwala sa ating mga OFWs, yung kanilang kaligayahan na mapadala sa mga mahal nila sa buhay ‘yung kanilang mga pasalubong noong sana matagal na dahil karamihan dito either eight months ago pa at dapat na i-release, more than one year at mayroon pang more than two years,” he said.

According to the BOC, a total of 147 containers were found abandoned at the port—140 fully loaded and seven partially filled. Of these, 33 containers have already been released to freight forwarders.

As of January 23, the BOC has released 66 containers, resulting in the delivery of at least 8,020 balikbayan boxes. Nepomuceno said authorities are working to deliver between 54,000 and 120,000 boxes in total.

In addition to filing charges, Nepomuceno announced the suspension of the 11 deconsolidators involved. He said their accreditation and registration with the BOC have been revoked due to negligence and irregularities, barring them from transacting with the agency in the future.

“Pananagutin natin yung mga nagkaroon ng pagkakamali o sinadyang huwag talaga ideliver ito dahil inabandona nila itong kanilang obligasyon sa mga OFWs...Ibig sabihin, nung dumating yung containers, hindi binayaran ng mga deconsolidators yung port charges sa port operator, private sector po yan at hindi binayaran ng deconsolidator yung mga taxes na dapat bayaran sa ating pamahalaan,” Nepomuceno said.

He said the bureau will publish a list of deconsolidators that abandoned shipments, as well as the foreign consolidators that sent the containers.

Nepomuceno urged OFWs to exercise caution when choosing freight forwarders and to avoid those offering unrealistically low fees.

“Ang importante ngayon, malaman na ating mga kababayan na dapat pumili na sila ng kanilang pagpapadalhan ng kanilang mga pinaghirapang pasalubong sa kanilang mga mahal sa buhay. Iwasan sana nila ito at pumili ng tamang consolidators na mapagkakatiwalaan sa pagpapadala ng kanilang pasalubong,” he said.

The Customs chief also expressed gratitude to the MICP for waiving certain container charges to speed up the delivery of the boxes to OFWs’ families.