Balikbayan boxes finally released after months; at least 1 claimant has since died

The Bureau of Customs has started releasing hundreds of balikbayan boxes stuck in several warehouses for  seven months up to two years, according to a "24 Oras" report by John Consulta on Thursday.

Families of overseas Filipino workers flocked to the Bureau of Customs' (BOC) Manila warehouse to claim their boxes following a notice sent by the bureau.

“Nag-aalinlangan pa ako na, talaga ba? Buhay pa tong box na to? Kinalimutan na nga namin. Ganun po yung thoughts ko that time. Akala namin scammer yung tumawag sakin, kaya nagdadalawang isip ako pumunta kanina,” said one of the box owners, Jezebel dela Torre.

“May mga expired na diyan [sa box], pero masaya kasi yung mga gamit, yung mga value ng item, nandiyan pa kasi eh,” said another box owner, Ron Pangilinan.

A claimant from Tarlac, Kristina Turla, said the release of the boxes came too late.  His father would no longer see the items sent by his brother from Kuwait last year.

"Yung tatay ko po dapat ang magre-receive pero namatay na po siya, kasalukuyan pong nakaburol siya ngayon, nabasa ko kasi ang pangalan niya, ang sakit po," she said.

According to the BOC, the OFWs from the UAE were scammed by fly-by-night consolidators who charge extremely low prices for shipping.

“Maging mapanuri po tayo. Wag po tayo magpadala po sa mga too good to be true ika nga po na mga pangako. Sa sobrang baba po, isipin po natin kalkulahin po natin yung processing fee, freight at tsaka yung cost po ng mga shipping ng boxes ninyo,” BOC Deputy Commissioner Michael Fermin said.

“Hindi po kapani-paniwala yung sinisingil nila as low as P3,500 para sa mga jumbo boxes,” he added.

Up to 5,000 abandoned balikbayan boxes are now loaded in over 21 containers because of said consolidators, who will face up to cases filed by the BOC.

“Pwede na po natin sila iblacklist para di na sila makapag-operate dito kung may mga ganitong kaso. One hit lang po… at tsaka po magfa-file na sila ng performance ban para kung sakaling magloko sila, di na po maiipit yung nagbayad na mga tao. We will just charge the delivery,” Fermin said.—Jiselle Anne Casucian/LDF, GMA Integrated News