DMW ramps up delivery of delayed balikbayan boxes

MANILA, November 29 ------ The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is ramping up its delivery efforts of thousands of long-delayed balikbayan boxes abandoned by erring forwarders.

In a press briefing, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac warned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to be mindful of the cargo forwarders they entrust with their balikbayan boxes. He said the DMW is working with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and that in the following days, the department would name forwarders, which he called “scammers” that victimize OFWs. “So you can see na (that) 95 percent nasa (in) Mindanao ang (the) accomplishment rate. And then the next task is Manila,” he said.

Cacdac, meanwhile, named Makati Express as one of the cargo forwarders with the largest number of abandoned and undelivered balikbayan boxes. “Itong pagbanggit sa Makati Express, kasi gusto natin mabigyan ng paunawa yung mga kababayan natin. Hindi lang Makati Express, in the coming days, pangangalanan namin yung mga nagka-problema. Para alam ng mga kababayan natin kung sino yung mga nagka-problema in terms of yung, hindi door to door, door to pier. Hindi dumating eh,” he said.

DMW Assistant Secretary Francis Ron De Guzman said long-overdue packages are now being delivered or made available for claiming through the DMW regional offices. He said the first batch of boxes donated to the DMW by the BOC consisted of 12 containers with a total of 2,500 Balikbayan boxes stored at the Port of Davao and has reached a 95 percent delivery rate as of early November.

The remaining boxes, he said, were affected by outdated addresses and unreachable contact numbers due to the long period of abandonment, as most of the parcel's date as far back as 2023. He said these boxes were being securely stored at the DMW’s nearest regional offices corresponding to the consignees’ last known addresses. “We continue to coordinate with local government units to help recipients claim their boxes. Hindi lang po ito kahon, pinaghirapan, at sagrado po ito sa ating mga OFWs,” De Guzman said.

He said the DMW is now preparing for the next batch of boxes located in Manila, with the first four containers from the Manila Container Port scheduled for pullout by next week. He said the DMW hopes to start deliveries in time for the holiday season. De Guzman said Makati Express, which was already suspended, reportedly failed to deliver between 80 to 90 containers of Balikbayan boxes since the second quarter of this year. He said the BOC and the Department of Trade and Industry, which regulate cargo forwarders, have assured the DMW that they are expediting the release of stranded containers and investigating the company’s operations.

Source: pna.gov.ph