Nearly 100 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families are experiencing distress due to their balikbayan boxes being held at a cargo forwarding firm in Las Piñas. The boxes, containing essential items and personal belongings, have been stuck since last year.
Jocelyn Bohol, an OFW who recently returned to Caloocan from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is among those affected. She shipped three boxes in November, filled with food, clothes, and baby items for her unborn child. To her dismay, these boxes have not arrived, and she fears the baby clothes might not be used in time.
Bohol, along with others, is being asked to pay an additional PHP 4,500 to release her boxes. The cargo firm explained that the shipping company in Dubai suddenly closed, leaving them to cover certain processing fees in the Philippines.
Jessabell Campo, another OFW, faces a similar predicament. She has 13 balikbayan boxes stuck with the firm, filled with furniture, clothes, and food, as she and her husband plan to permanently return to the Philippines. Campo is now required to pay around PHP 26,000, despite having fully paid the Dubai company.
Eleanor Panti, who relies on her child’s modest income in Dubai, is being asked to pay nearly PHP 20,000 for nine boxes containing household items and clothes.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has declared the cargo company’s actions as illegal and inappropriate. BOC Deputy Commissioner Michael Fermin stated that holding the balikbayan boxes is not lawful, especially since payments were made upfront. He affirmed that the freight forwarding companies could face criminal charges for such actions.
Fermin emphasized that regardless of the issues with the Dubai shipping company, the local firm should not charge the claimants again. The BOC is prepared to offer legal assistance to the affected OFWs.
ABS-CBN News has reached out to the Las Piñas cargo forwarding company for comments. While an administrative officer explained the situation over the phone, they declined to have the conversation recorded and advised waiting for an official statement.
