The government will shoulder the delivery fees of balikbayan boxes stranded at Makati Express Cargo, one of the country’s largest consolidators and de-consolidators of overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) packages, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced.
In an interview with DZRH’s Dos Por Dos, Atty. Vincent Philip “Jet” Maronilla, BOC Assistant Commissioner, said that 120 containers, amounting to roughly 130,000 balikbayan boxes, were abandoned by shipping company, Makati Express Cargo, this year. Each container holds about 380 to 400 boxes.
“The quickest solution is bayaran ng pamahalaan. Yung mga private charges kasi malaki eh [for] shipping, storage, etc,” Maronilla told Dos Por Dos.
He added that private shipping, storage, and handling fees for the boxes were high, making government intervention necessary.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. approved the use of government funds to ensure that the packages reach their families before Christmas.
“So at the instance po na nakita ng Pangulo yan at nakita niya kagad na gano'n karami yung apektado, eh naghanap po talaga ng pondo yung ating Pangulo,” Maronilla said.
“Just last week, nitong weekend lang, nakakuha kami ng confirmation na nakahanap na yung Pangulo natin saan kukunin yung pagpapondo para bayaran itong mga ito,” Maronilla added.
Most of the stranded boxes came from the Middle East, including Qatar and Kuwait, and affected OFWs were among the primary beneficiaries.
To assist them, the BOC created a Viber group for updates and accompanied affected individuals to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to file criminal complaints against Makati Express.
“Sinamahan po namin sila sa NBI para sila mismo yung mag-file ng reklamo. Criminal na reklamo po sa National Bureau of Investigation. Si Director Lito Magno ang mismong humarap sa kanila at na personal na tumitingin dito sa kaso na,” Maronilla shared.
Maronilla also confirmed that the delivery of the boxes will be done door-to-door, and the government will cover all associated delivery fees. Since there is no master list of the senders, the agency is opening and listing each container to ensure proper distribution.
This measure follows President Marcos’ directive to expedite the release of stranded packages to OFW families in time for the holiday season.
