Undelivered balikbayan boxes top cargo-related complaints, says DTI

Dozens of balikbayan boxes sent by Filipinos abroad did not reach their intended recipients in the Philippines this year, GMA News' Lei Alviz reported on 24 Oras on Wednesday.
Citing the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the report said DTI's Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau has received 78 complaints regarding balikbayan boxes since January this year.
Of this, 68 were undelivered, six were delayed, two were damaged and one was opened partially.
In 2016, DTI-FTEB recorded 121 complaints regarding balikbayan boxes.
To protect their packages, DTI-FTEB officer-in-charge Ferdinand Manfoste
urged senders to visit the DTI website to see if the freight forwarder they're using is accredited to avoid non-delivery, damage, and pilferage.
Manfoste said freight forwarders need to have local counterparts to be accredited.
"Ang foreign freight forwarders na pinagpapadalhan po ng ating mga kababayan sa abroad kinakailangan pong merong ditong local foreign agents or local foreign freight forwarders," Manfoste said.
The report said there are over 700 accredited freight forwarders on the DTI list.
Senders were also reminded to list down the contents of their boxes, to thoroughly wrap their boxes, and if able or willing, to pay for insurance. Balikbayan boxes with values not exceeding P150,000 will be exempted from paying duties and taxes.
Manfoste said senders should also be aware of items that are prohibited from being shipped in balikbayan boxes.
"Currencies or mga cheke; firearms and ammunition, explosives; yung mga alahas, 'di pupwede 'yan. Prohibited drugs and other substances; pornographic materials; pirated products. Plant seeds and plant materials and any food stuff that are not in cans, packages, or in bottles," he said.
Persons whose packages never reached their intended recipients may send their written complaints to DTI-FTEB along with supporting documents such as receipts and packing lists.
Freight forwarders proven to have violated DTI's rules regarding balikbayan boxes and the like may face a fine of up to P50,000 and may have their accreditation cancelled, the report said. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more