Amid persistent cases of abandoned balikbayan boxes that have weakened public confidence, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) has established a dedicated unit to safeguard overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) shipments.

The new unit, called the Balikbayan and OFW Action Center (BOAC), has been created to operate under the Office of the Commissioner (OCOM).

BOC Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno said in Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 13-2026 that the creation of BOAC stemmed from the need to establish a dedicated task force due to the persistent exploitation of the balikbayan program by dishonest shipping agents.

According to the memorandum, the “persistent incidence of abandoned balikbayan boxes and other irregularities involving unscrupulous freight forwarders has adversely affected thousands of OFWs and their families.”

The memorandum also cited the need for a centralized office to strengthen policy implementation, interagency coordination, regulatory compliance, and the handling of complaints involving abandoned balikbayan shipments.

Consequently, the BOC created BOAC to oversee policies, coordinate government efforts, and safeguard the interests of OFWs and balikbayans. BOAC will report directly and exclusively to Nepomuceno, who will exercise “immediate supervision” over the office.

The order covers all matters related to the development, implementation, monitoring, and coordination of policies and programs involving abandoned balikbayan boxes.

It also includes managing “complaints involving freight forwarders, consolidators, and other parties engaged in the transport and delivery of balikbayan shipments.”

Specifically, BOAC will develop systems to monitor, report, and resolve cases involving abandoned balikbayan shipments.

Among its major functions is to “recommend legal and administrative actions against erring freight forwarders and other parties involved in abandonment.”

Under the memorandum, BOAC will be headed by a chairperson and co-chairperson responsible for policy and operational oversight, while a vice chairperson will oversee port-level implementation and compliance. Designated focal persons will coordinate the monitoring, reporting, and implementation of the unit’s directives at the district level.

Meanwhile, the BOC clarified that the new unit will not add to the government’s payroll burden. “Nothing in this order shall be construed as automatically creating new plantilla positions,” the memorandum read.

Instead, the commissioner is authorized to “detail, designate, or assign qualified personnel from existing offices” to staff the center. It will be funded through the BOC’s existing budget in accordance with government accounting and auditing rules.