THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has suspended the privileges of the deconsolidators responsible for abandoning thousands of balikbayan boxes sent by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to their families.
Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said Monday that the concerned companies will no longer be allowed to transact business with the BOC, saying they cannot handle balikbayan boxes in the future.
“Neglecting responsibilities toward the OFWs will not be tolerated, and the BOC will take decisive action to protect their rights and welfare,” he said.
Deconsolidator refers to a local freight forwarder or consolidator’s agent or representative situated in the country of importation that provides services to ungroup or deconsolidate shipments, orders and goods to facilitate distribution, such as balikbayan boxes, loose cargoes and break-bulk shipments, among others, by sea.
Nepomuceno said that the BOC, in coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), has provided assistance to affected OFW families in filing charges against the entities responsible for the abandonment of the balikbayan boxes.
Records show that about 130,000 balikbayan boxes in 144 containers sent by OFWs to their families have been abandoned in ports for a year or more because deconsolidators fail to pay the shipping and arrastre costs, including handling, custody, security and delivery of the goods.
Nepomuceno said that the president ordered the BOC to take the responsibility of delivering them to their intended destinations free of charge.
Most of the abandoned balikbayan boxes were from OFWs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Canada, Europe, and the Middle East.
As of Jan. 23, 2026, the BOC has released 66 containers of balikbayan boxes, with deliveries still currently in progress.
To date, the BOC has delivered 8,020 boxes to their rightful recipients.
Nepomuceno said that after the completion of legal requirements, the BOC can begin releasing the remaining 74 containers for subsequent sorting out and delivery.
