Manila: The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has taken legal action against a local cargo-handling company, accusing it of abandoning nearly 37,000 balikbayan boxes. These boxes, primarily belonging to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), were left unclaimed at various ports in the Philippines, prompting the BOC to file criminal complaints against the officials of Makati Express Cargo Inc.
According to Philippines News Agency, BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno spearheaded the legal proceedings by submitting the complaint to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The allegations center around the abandonment of 117 40-foot containers filled with a total of 36,826 balikbayan boxes at the ports of Manila, Cebu, and Davao. As per customs regulations, these unclaimed boxes are deemed impliedly abandoned and are now in favor of the government.
The breakdown of the abandoned containers includes 65 containers with approximately 19,671 boxes through the Manila International Container Port (MICP), 50 containers containing about 16,431 boxes at the Port of Cebu, and two containers with 724 boxes at the Port of Davao.
