The Bureau of Customs, (BOC) in coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Migrant Workers, has begun building cases against deconsolidators involved in the abandonment of balikbayan boxes following a joint inspection at the Manila International Container Port.
Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno said information gathered during the inspection will be used to support the filing of criminal and administrative cases against companies that failed to deliver balikbayan boxes entrusted to them by overseas Filipino workers.
Nepomuceno also announced the suspension of the deconsolidators’ privileges, barring them from transacting with the Bureau of Customs and from handling balikbayan shipments.
He warned logistics operators that shipment abandonment would result in strict enforcement actions and legal consequences.
The inspection covered several abandoned containers that have been the subject of complaints from overseas Filipino workers and their families.
The BOC earlier assisted affected OFWs in filing complaints with the NBI in December 2025 against entities linked to the abandoned shipments.
“It is important that those who committed errors or deliberately failed to deliver the shipments are held accountable,” Nepomuceno said.
As of January 23, 2026, the Bureau of Customs has released 66 containers, with deliveries ongoing. Upon completion of the required legal documentation, the agency is set to release the remaining 74 containers for sorting and delivery. A total of 8,020 balikbayan boxes have so far been delivered to beneficiaries.
