BOC WELCOMES PROBE INTO OFW WOES

THE Bureau of Customs under Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio assured OFW Partylist Rep. Marissa ‘Del Mar’ Magsino, of the agency’s continuing commitment to helping Filipino overseas workers thru the expeditious release of their ‘balikbayan’ boxes.

Assistant Commissioner and BOC spokesperson, Atty. Vincent Philip ‘Jett’ Maronilla, in a meeting last October 22 with Magsino in Congress, also assured the agency’s full participation in any congressional inquiry to address the proliferation of fake and unscrupulous international freight forwarders and consolidators and their local cohorts (de-consolidators) that have victimized thousands of OFWs leading to the abandonment or non-delivery of their balikbayan boxes.

Magsino has filed HR 499 calling for an inquiry on the proliferation fraudulent international freight forwarders and their local counterparts even as the BOC continues to seek remedies to address the problem of undelivered OFW packages to their loved ones back home.

HR 499 is titled, ‘A Resolution Urging the Appropriate Committees of the House of Representatives to Conduct and Inquiry, in Aid of Legislation, into the Reported Fraudulent Activities and Scams of Fake or Unscrupulous International Freight Forwarders and their Local Counterparts Victimizing Overseas Filipino Workers and Overseas Filipinos in the Shipment and Delivery of Balikbayan Boxes with the Aim of Curbing and Preventing Such Unlawful Activities.’

The resolution, however, remains pending at the Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs since it was filed on October 26, 2022.

“The Bureau of Customs welcomes this investigation and is prepared to participate actively in the process.

“We deeply appreciate Congresswoman Magsino’s initiative and continued support in addressing the concerns of our OFWs.

“Given our limited jurisdiction over deconsolidators, we see the need for legislation and a whole-of-government approach to finally resolve the persistent issues surrounding balikbayan boxes,” Maronilla stated.

The official also pointed out that thru its own initiative, the BOC already caused the filing of 11 criminal complaints before the Department of Justice while several other cases are undergoing review for potential legal action.

The BOC delegation that also includes Manila International Container Port (MICP) district collector, Rizalino Jose Torralba and Port Operations Service (POS) director, Atty, Geniefelle Lagmay, also outlined to Magsino the measures being undertaken by the BOC to address the problem thru legal measures, regulatory reforms and partnership with various stakeholders.

Among others, the present law does not allow the BOC to dispose of abandoned or forfeited shipments other than thru public auction, donation or condemnation.

A shipment remained unclaimed for more than 15 days is deemed abandoned and forfeited in favor of the government.

In the case of balikbayan boxes processed by unscrupulous consolidators and freight forwarders and then abandoned, many of them have been in BOC custody for years.

BOC initiatives

It can be recalled that it was the BOC that highlighted the problem of unscrupulous consolidators and de-consolidators.

Then Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz, the first customs commissioner under the Marcos administration, personally checked on the status of balikbayan boxes right after his formal assumption of office in July 2022, leading to the problem getting wide public attention.

Maronilla also informed the lawmaker that from 2022 to date, the agency had already released to their rightful owners 79 percent or 11,708 boxes from the more than 14,000 of balikbayan boxes abandoned in the ports of Cebu, Batangas, Zamboanga and NAIA.

Maronilla said the agency also planned to donate to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) the remaining over 4,000 balikbayan boxes to hurdle legal constraints.

To further hasten the process and ensure accountability, Maronilla also informed Magsino that the agency is now in the final stage of finalizing a new customs administrative order (CAO) that list down the guidelines for all de-consolidators and consolidators handling balikbayan boxes.

“The CAO aims to benefit OFWs by defining the roles and responsibilities of sea cargo de-consolidators and consolidators to ensure the proper handling, shipping, and timely release of packages,” Maronilla explained further.

He expressed optimism that Finance Secretary Ralph Recto would very soon approve the new CAO.