By Lane Afable, News Editor
Two criminal cases have been filed against fraudulent freight companies and 11 de-consolidators suspended as the Bureau of Customs moves to hold accountable those responsible for delays stretching nearly three years in the delivery of balikbayan boxes abandoned by unscrupulous forwarders.
BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno announced Wednesday that the Port of Davao has cleared all 732 boxes that had been left in limbo under its custody — part of a broader national tally of 35,549 boxes delivered across the country.
“Almost three years delayed, but this time we solved their problem. All 147 containers were released,” Nepomuceno said.
The legal actions were filed under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and for large-scale estafa.
The suspensions, carried out in November last year, accompanied a tightened accreditation process that Nepomuceno said will soon yield a published list of legitimate consolidators — a move he framed as protection for OFWs and their families against fly-by-night operators.
The nationwide delivery effort, backed by Finance Secretary Frederick Go and ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., guarantees that boxes reach recipients at no cost. Nepomuceno said more than 60 percent have already been delivered to OFW families, with the remainder still in the hands of forwarders awaiting last-mile distribution.
The BOC said it is maintaining help desks to handle ongoing complaints and is coordinating with other agencies to sustain delivery operations.
