With thousands of undelivered balikbayan boxes still sitting in customs facilities, the Bureau of Customs has begun a labor-intensive manual inventory to identify owners and destinations, after shipping intermediaries failed to submit basic shipment records.
Atty. Chris Bendijo, deputy chief of staff of the BOC Office of the Commissioner, said personnel are individually checking the contents of each box because deconsolidator companies did not turn over a master list. Speaking in an interview on Dobol B TV, Bendijo described the process as slow and painstaking, noting that each container must be opened and logged item by item.
Authorities must first match each box to its sender and delivery address before grouping shipments bound for Metro Manila and those headed to provincial destinations. Bendijo said this identification step is required before any distribution can move forward.
To reduce delays, Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno has instructed the agency to look into engaging additional logistics partners to accelerate handling and delivery. Bendijo said the goal is to complete the release without extending beyond mid-February.
“So again, humihingi pa po tayo ng kaunting pasensya sa ating OFW. Kaunting panahon pa po. Talaga pong mahirap lang po talaga itong prosesong pinagdadaanan natin. Pero hopefully, hindi na po tayo umabot ng Valentine’s Day,” he said.
According to Bendijo, most of the undelivered boxes are connected to Makati Express. He said the BOC has coordinated with the National Bureau of Investigation and accompanied affected overseas Filipino workers in filing formal complaints against the company.
“Ang pinakamaraming naiwan dito ay ‘yung Makati Express po. Again magkakaroon pa po tayo ng isang follow-up with NBI kasi dinulog na natin ito sa kanila. Sinamahan natin ang mga OFWs para magsampa ng kaukulang reklamo,” he said.
Bendijo added that Makati Express had earlier committed to compensate the affected senders but has yet to fulfill even its obligation to submit a master list of shipments.
“Pero even ‘yung pagpo-provide ng masterlist ay hindi pa po namin natatanggap. So hindi ko po alam kung ano ang kanilang hangarin. Pero hindi po maganda itong pagpapakitang ito dahil hindi po sila tumupad doon sa napag-usapan,” he said.
The matter has already been elevated to the Office of the President, Bendijo said, adding that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. responded by immediately releasing funds to support the retrieval and distribution process.
At the same time, Bendijo said the incident has prompted policy discussions aimed at expanding the BOC’s authority over deconsolidator firms, including possible accreditation and tighter regulatory measures.
“Talagang nagkakaroon na po tayo ng policy direction na magkakaroon din po ng accreditation ang BOC sa mga kumpanyang ito dahil sa kasalukuyan wala po tayong ganung regulating power,” he said.
“Magkakaroon pa ng mas maigting na measures at mga programa ang BOC para po sa ating mga OFWs nang sa ganun hindi na po maulit ang ganitong pagkakataon,” he added.
