By Junex Doronio
CONCERNED THAT MANY FILIPINOS fall prey to dubious forwarding companies, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Saturday advised overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families in the Philippines to choose their forwarders “wisely.”
The BOC noted that some “unscrupulous forwarders abroad took advantage of OFWs by offering lower shipping fees for balikbayan boxes” but in reality, they have no local counterpart that will facilitate the clearance and delivery to the intended beneficiaries.
“This resulted in non-declaration and non-payment of duties, taxes, and charges due thereon with BOC, leading to the subsequent abandonment of the boxes,” the country’s revenue collection agency said in a statement.
The agency said the OFWs who paid fees to overseas forwarders for shipping their balikbayan boxes to their families, “with local forwarders left uncompensated.”
On Saturday, the BOC announced that it distributed last October 26 some 87 “abandoned” balikbayan boxes at a warehouse in Sta. Ana, Manila to their intended claimants.
Customs officials said the balikbayan boxes were sent by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Canada, Europe, and the Middle East, but were abandoned by alleged unscrupulous forwarding companies.
“Unscrupulous forwarders abroad took advantage of OFWs by offering lower shipping fees for balikbayan boxes, enticing them to use their services, but without a counterpart local deconsolidation that will facilitate the clearance and delivery thereof to intended beneficiaries,” the BOC said.
The BOC has the OFWs and the public be more circumspect and exercise extra caution in selecting forwarding companies for their balikbayan boxes to ensure the reliability and integrity of the services they engage.
(ai/mnm)
