In a bid to track balikbayan boxes sent by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to their families here, the Bureau of Customs (BoC) has launched an online tracking portal for door-to-door deliveries of the said goods.

The BoC said the main aim of the portal is to track the delivery of abandoned balikbayan boxes by freight forwarding companies.

This, after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approved funds for the immediate distribution of the packages, approximately 13,000, to the families of OFWs.

OFW complaints

The move is part of the Balikbayan and OFW Action Center (BOAC), one of the major programs of BoC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno, which aims to address the long-standing complaints of OFWs against the irresponsible practices of some freight forwarders that have caused delays and abandonment of their packages.

Nepomuceno led the inspection and ceremonial distribution as a symbol of the agency’s concrete action to finally resolve the long-standing problems of OFWs regarding their balikbayan boxes.

OFW workers’ sacrifices

“This is one of the problems we immediately addressed upon assuming office. We are aware of the sacrifices of our OFWs, and each balikbayan box is the result of their hard work for their families,” Commissioner Nepomuceno said.

Nepomuceno first revealed this during his guesting at the DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital show Straight Talk last November.

According to Deputy Commissioner Michael Fermin, chairperson of BOAC, the BoC continues to coordinate with the Department of Finance, Department of Migrant Workers, and other agencies to expedite the delivery of balikbayan boxes.

Free distribution

“The distribution of these balikbayan boxes is free. There is no fee. Anyone who asks for payment can be reported to the Bureau of Customs,” Deputy Commissioner Fermin said.

Commissioner Nepomuceno thanked President Marcos Jr., as well as Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go, for their support in the program that ensures that OFWs will feel the government’s concern.

OFWs, in turn, expressed gratitude for the BoC initiative, which gives them hope that their hard-earned shipments would finally arrive.

Waiting for a long time

OFW Rachel Parfan has been waiting for a long time for the delivery of more than ten balikbayan boxes she sent to her family.

“We never thought that our situation would be noticed. The assurance that our hard work would not be wasted meant a lot to us,” Parfan said.

The BoC emphasized that the program is part of a broader and ongoing advocacy to safeguard the welfare of OFWs, hold abusive freight forwarders accountable, and ensure that the sacrifices of our new heroes are not wasted.

The agency also continues to remind the public to be vigilant and ensure that the freight forwarders they trust to ship balikbayan boxes are legitimate and credible.