Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto has reinforced the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) protocols on balikbayan boxes through a Joint Administrative Order (JAO) that aims to guarantee the safe and timely delivery of every box to overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) families.
The signing of the JAO is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s call to support OFWs, honoring them for their exemplary contribution to national development.
“It is our duty to defend every peso our OFWs send home— including what’s inside their balikbayan boxes. This JAO will allow us in the DOF to make sure that your shipments do not land in the hands of fraudulent consolidators,” Secretary Recto said.
“Sisiguraduhin namin na ang mga padala niyo ay makakarating sa kamay ng inyong mga mahal sa buhay ng buo, ligtas, at sa tamang oras,” he added.
Secretary Recto previously championed the bill raising the tax-exempt value of pasalubong cargo brought in or sent by OFWs.
The JAO seeks to protect the rights of OFWs by streamlining national policies on balikbayan boxes. It aims to prevent abuses by clearly identifying legitimate international freight forwarders and weeding out unscrupulous players.
The JAO is issued by DOF together with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
The effort addresses longstanding issues, particularly the failure of some deconsolidators to process and release balikbayan boxes, which has led to undelivered shipments for many OFWs.
Under the JAO, the DOF shall be responsible for overseeing the timely and proper release of the balikbayan boxes, as well as ensuring continued collaboration with the BOC and other government agencies involved in the process.
The BOC, under DOF’s supervision, shall issue the rules and regulations (IRR) for the registration of deconsolidators as third parties.
The BOC shall also be in charge of regulations outlining the procedures for the release of abandoned balikbayan boxes. This includes provisions establishing a mechanism for designated deconsolidators and/or consolidators to settle expenses related to their proper release.
The BOC shall likewise define the obligations and liabilities of the registered deconsolidators and counterpart consolidators pertaining to the release of balikbayan boxes from customs custody.
The JAO also authorizes the BOC to provide the grounds for the suspension, cancellation, or revocation of the registration of deconsolidators.
An updated list of registered deconsolidators with complete documents, the rights and obligations of OFWs, reports of abandoned balikbayan boxes, and the status of their disposition or delivery shall be posted on the BOC’s official website.
The Order will take effect after 30 days following its publication in at least two newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines and filing of three certified copies with the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR) of the University of the Philippines (UP) Law Center, Diliman, Quezon City.
