The government has approved the release of the abandoned balikbayan boxes of overseas Filipino workers.
“The Bureau of Customs initiated this move to help our OFW,” BoC Commissioner Yogi Felimon Ruiz said during the meeting with the Door-to-Door Consolidators Association of the Philippines recently.
A Balikbayan Box Assistance Unit will be created to monitor the immediate expeditious release and delivery of the balikbayan boxes and to serve as the primary communications center of the consignees, the commissioner added.
The BoC has released seven containers consigned to CMG International Movers and Cargo Services.
An additional 27 containers of abandoned balikbayan boxes will be auctioned off to the DDCAP and sent to the consignees.
In February, the Manila International Container Port of the BoC facilitated the release of balikbayan boxes to the DDCAP.
The shipment contains almost 180 balikbayan boxes that arrived at the MICP on 16 August and were originally processed by the Manila Forwarders Corp. based in Spain.
However, the company failed to claim the shipment within the period provided for under Customs Administrative Order 17-2019.
Thus, the BoC issued a Decree of Abandonment against said shipment and eventually sold it to Atlas Brokerage & Express Padala Inc. on a Public Auction Sale dated 19 January.