THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Bureau of Customs (BoC) on Monday unveiled a new regulatory framework aimed at overhauling the country’s sea cargo forwarding industry in response to mounting complaints over lost, delayed, or undelivered balikbayan boxes.
The agencies signed a Joint Administrative Order that establishes a unified set of rules across multiple agencies for the handling of these boxes and packages sent by millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to families back home.
The move is intended to protect OFWs from fraudulent freight forwarding schemes and long-standing delays in balikbayan box deliveries, the DMW said in a statement.
It was developed by a multi-agency technical working group, which includes participation from the Department of Finance, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Transportation, Philippine Ports Authority, and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
It creates a complaint and monitoring system, mandates public education campaigns, and sets new standards for accreditation of freight forwarders.
It follows a congressional inquiry led by House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs Chair Jude A. Acidre, which exposed gaps in regulation and consumer protection. Lawmakers earlier this year directed agencies to draft a coordinated policy solution.
Since 2023, the DMW and BoC said they have facilitated the delivery of more than 9,900 delayed boxes. Last week, an additional 2,500 boxes were received at the Port of Davao and are being delivered free of charge to recipients in Mindanao.
For boxes deemed unrecoverable, the government is offering financial assistance of up to P30,000 per affected worker through its AKSYON Fund. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
