Sending Christmas gifts home? Filipinos urged to verify balikbayan box forwarders

Dubai: Filipinos overseas preparing to send Christmas gifts and other packages to their families in the Philippines are being urged to verify their balikbayan box cargo forwarders before handing over their shipments.

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) has reminded non-resident Filipinos (NRFs) to check the accreditation of their chosen cargo forwarder and its Philippine counterpart before sending a balikbayan box.

The advice comes as the Christmas season approaches, when many Filipinos abroad send boxes containing gifts, food, and other items to their families back home.

Check the cargo forwarder

CFO chairperson Dante “Klink” Ang II has encouraged NRFs to visit the official website of the Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) and check its list of accredited cargo forwarders for consolidated shipments of balikbayan boxes.

They have also been advised to review BOC advisories concerning forwarding companies that have reported incidents involving abandoned balikbayan boxes.

The reminder follows reports of balikbayan boxes remaining undelivered even after senders have paid for their shipments.

Such cases can result in financial losses for the sender and disappointment for families waiting for packages from relatives overseas.

Thousands of boxes left unclaimed

Recent BOC enforcement actions have highlighted the need for overseas Filipinos to exercise caution when choosing a cargo company.

Last May, the BOC has filed criminal complaints against Makati Express Cargo, Inc. and several responsible officers over approximately 36,826 balikbayan boxes left unclaimed at ports in Manila, Cebu, and Davao.

A month later, the BOC has filed another batch of complaints against five cargo forwarding firms involving 3,176 abandoned boxes.

The cases have included alleged violations such as unauthorised deconsolidation and fraudulent declaration.

Keep receipts and tracking details

The CFO has recommended senders to keep their receipts, tracking numbers, bills of landing, and other proof of the transaction.

In addition, they have been urged to be cautious of unusually low shipping rates, unauthorised agents, and unexplained additional charges.

Regularly monitoring the shipment has been encouraged, with any irregularities to be reported immediately to the appropriate authorities.

CFO, customs strengthen cooperation

The CFO and BOC have recently strengthened their cooperation through a memorandum of agreement aimed at improving public awareness among Filipinos overseas.

The partnership has focused on making official information more accessible on balikbayan box procedures, customs regulations, donations, and other matters affecting shipments to the Philippines.

The CFO's stakeholders include permanent and long-term migrants, expatriates, dual citizens, marriage migrants, their descendants, and people of Filipino descent, collectively referred to as NRFs.

‘A balikbayan box is more than a shipment’

Ang has noted that the government wants overseas Filipinos to have greater confidence when sending packages to their families.

“For many Filipinos overseas, a balikbayan box is more than a shipment. It represents months of hard work and is one of the ways they share the fruits of their labour with their families back home,” said Ang.

“We want our kababayans to enjoy the Christmas season knowing that the boxes they carefully prepared have a better chance of reaching their families safely and on time. A few minutes spent checking official government information before shipping can help prevent months of problems later.”

Meanwhile, the CFO and BOC will continue developing public information materials and awareness initiatives to help NRFs make informed decisions when sending balikbayan boxes, donations, and other shipments to the Philippines.