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The Bureau of Customs and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas signed an agreement to provide overseas Filipino workers and their families better access to information and assistance on balikbayan boxes and other shipment concerns
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The two agencies will work together to help Filipinos overseas better understand customs rules and requirements
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BOC and CFO will also strengthen efforts to educate the public on proper documentation, prohibited and restricted goods, and ways to avoid fraudulent shipping schemes
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A key component of the partnership is the enhancement of coordination on concerns such as shipments that are missing, delayed, damaged, tampered with, or not delivered
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Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said BOC is also preparing to issue rules on the registration of deconsolidators, which handle balikbayan boxes
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) signed an agreement on September 8 to give overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families better access to information and support regarding balikbayan boxes and other shipment concerns.
Under a memorandum of agreement signed by Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno and CFO Chairperson Dante Francis Ang II, the two agencies will help non-resident Filipinos navigate customs rules and requirements.
BOC and CFO will also strengthen joint efforts to educate the public on proper documentation, prohibited and restricted goods, and ways to avoid fraudulent shipping schemes, BOC said in a statement.
“There are many OFWs who regularly send balikbayan boxes for their family. Through this partnership, we want to ensure that they have access to reliable information on customs requirements, proper shipping practices, and available government assistance whenever concerns arise,” Nepomuceno said partly in Filipino.
A key component of the partnership is establishing clearer referral procedures for problematic shipments, including those that are missing, delayed, damaged, tampered with, and undelivered.
For his part, Ang said through the MOA, BOC can provide authoritative and updated guidance on balikbayan boxes, cargo forwarding concerns, humanitarian donations, prohibited and restricted goods, documentation requirements, and other customs procedures.
“The CFO, in turn, can help bring that information directly to our constituents through our official platforms, orientation programs, Community Education Program, Migration Talks, and our continuing engagement with Filipino communities overseas,” he added.
To expand their outreach, BOC and CFO will conduct joint information campaigns, publish customs advisories, participate in stakeholder engagements, and roll out capacity-building initiatives on customs processes.
The two agencies will likewise establish a joint technical working group to develop implementing guidelines, coordination procedures, referral mechanisms, and other measures necessary to carry out the objectives of the agreement.
READ: 5 more forwarders face raps over abandoned balikbayan boxes
BOC said the partnership will further strengthen efforts to help overseas Filipinos make informed decisions when sending shipments to the Philippines by promoting awareness of customs regulations, responsible shipping practices, and available government services.
Under Customs Memorandum Order No. 13-2026, the bureau established the Balikbayan and OFW Action Center to serve as a policy-making and coordinating body to ensure accountability, transparency, and protection for OFW shipments.
Registration of deconsolidators
At the sidelines of the signing, Nepomuceno said they will also finally issue rules on the registration of deconsolidators, which handles balikbayan boxes.
Last year, a joint administrative order reinforcing BOC protocols on balikbayan boxes and aims to guarantee the safe and timely delivery of every box to OFWs families has been signed.—Roumina Pablo
