DAVAO CITY – The Bureau of Customs is pursuing criminal and administrative complaints against 11 forwarders and deconsolidators for thousands of delayed balikbayan boxes, affecting several families, including those in this city.

Bureau of Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno assured affected families during the Overseas Filipino Workers Kamustahan on Wednesday afternoon, April 8, at the BOC-11 at the Port of Davao here that actions are ongoing and deliveries continue nationwide.

While 147 affected containers – 140 full and seven partially filled – have been released after remaining unprocessed for up to three years, the commissioner said they are reviewing complaints filed before the National Bureau of Investigation.

The BOC said that 35,549 out of 42,063 abandoned balikbayan boxes, or 85 percent, have been delivered to consignees nationwide, including Davao City, as of April 8, leaving about 15 percent still pending.

The Port of Manila logged a 100 percent delivery completion rate (70 boxes), 100 percent in Davao (732 boxes), 98 percent in Cebu (13,998 boxes), 96 percent in at Subic (2,699 boxes), and 75 percent at the Manila International Container Port (18,050 boxes).

Nepomuceno hopes that remaining deliveries of abandoned balikbayan boxes would be completed by the end of April. He said the boxes should be returned to the right families because their loved ones worked hard for them.

According to the commissioner, the problem stemmed from foreign-based consolidators that collected payments from OFWs but failed to settle shipping line, port, storage, and handling charges upon arrival in the Philippines.

Local partner deconsolidators allegedly failed to release and deliver the shipments, leaving thousands of fully paid balikbayan boxes abandoned. Low shipping fees and promises of fast, door-to-door delivery lured OFWs to problematic operators.

"What we want to pursue now is to make sure this does not happen again. Help us explain this to your fellow OFWs and fellow citizens so they can choose the right box companies," Nepomuceno told the families of several affected OFWs.

BOC suspended 11 deconsolidators since November 2025 and is pursuing two cases: Violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act through the Department of Justice, and large-scale estafa and cybercrime complaints before the NBI.

Companies with negative records include Beneflux Freight Logistics Philippines, Brand Expert Freight Forwarder Corp., Cargoflex Haulers Corp., Ikthus Trading Corp., Makati Express Cargo Inc., and Marcelo D. Laylo Cargo Forwarder.

Nepomuceno said Makati Express is the biggest company with delayed shipments with roughly 50 percent to 60 percent of the affected containers.

Also in the list are MBS Cargo Movers Co., ME Amoree International Consumer Goods Trading, MT de Guzman Non-Specialized Wholesale Trading, RLMR Freight Forwarder Services, and Tri-Star Cargo Express International Philippines.

The commissioner said the bureau is also looking into foreign-based partner firms in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, although he acknowledged jurisdictional challenges. He assured them that they would work on this matter.

Nepomuceno estimated that OFWs paid about $90 to $100 per box or more than P6,000 for their balikbayan boxes. Based on 42,063 boxes, he said, total payments could have reached around P330 million.

"This is not something that can simply be neglected. These are large organizations whose sole intention has been to collect payment, not to fulfill their obligation to deliver your boxes," the commissioner added.

He said the government covered the costs of releasing the boxes – P19 million in unpaid taxes and about P90 million in port, shipping, and handling fees. Delivery to households required another P30 million.

Nepomuceno said the government-assisted distribution began on Dec. 18, 2025, after funding was approved by the Department of Finance and the Office of the President.

He emphasized that the administration backed the intervention and involved coordination with multiple agencies and migrant-worker stakeholders to ensure the safe and timely delivery of the abandoned balikbayan boxes.

The BOC has set up a Balikbayan OFW Action Center, a Balikbayan Box Help Desk under its Customer Care Center, an OFW Corner on its website for tracking and advisories, and the "Isumbong Kay Commissioner" platform.

Nepomuceno said the bureau is drafting a Customs administrative order to strengthen rules for freight forwarders, including a proposed P2-million bond to ensure they can handle shipments responsibly.

The BOC urged OFWs to choose forwarders carefully, avoid unusually low shipping fees, demand official receipts and tracking references, and report violations to the government authorities, including the Department of Trade and Industry.

Evangeline Ginatilan, an OFW in Saudi Arabia for 10 years, said that it is not easy when the things you worked hard for overseas do not reach your family.

Ginatilan said she now knows that the Philippine government, especially the BOC, is ready to help OFWs with problems like this. She added that if she sends balikbayan boxes again in the future, she now knows which forwarders to trust for her family.

Department of Migrant Workers-11 Regional Director Maria Carolina Agdamag thanked Nepomuceno and the BOC in behalf of the agency for assisting the OFWs and their families with their concerns.

Agdamag emphasized that gathering was not merely procedural but purposeful, highlighting the shared responsibility of government agencies to improve the systems serving OFWs continually.

She said the successful release of the balikbayan boxes gives OFW families dignity, reassurance, and long-awaited closure, turning a complicated process into an important accomplishment for people.