Dubai: Cargo companies on Tuesday appealed to Philippine Customs officials to review their policy on the sending of goods through Balikbayan boxes (care packages) and urged Filipinos not to send prohibited goods to avoid delays in their delivery this coming Christmas season.
A group of freight forwarding companies in Dubai met Philippine Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes on Tuesday to air their concerns regarding the need to relax Customs rules on balikbayan boxes sent by Filipinos overseas during the Christmas season.
Filipinos customarily send goods such as chocolates, toys, clothes, and household items and appliances for personal use, among others, to their families back home packed in a balikbayan box. It takes months to fill a huge box to send in time for major occasions like Christmas.
Roomi Sarkari, from JRS Logistics, said the problem arises if Manila’s Bureau of Customs detects contraband or prohibited items and even taxable items in the boxes.
Efren Artillaga, from Flomic Cargo, explained: “One 40-foot container can have 250-300 balikbayan boxes. Even if only one box is found questionable, the whole shipment is held over for inspection. Delivery of the rest of the boxes gets stalled,”
If one sender decides to send an LCD TV in his or her box and that box gets clubbed with five more boxes with TV sets, Customs officials automatically hold the shipment as the goods inside are deemed “of commercial quantity” and are therefore taxable even if they have different owners, Marilyn Siervo from MSM Cargo said.
Each box contains goods costing around Dh3,000 on average. Around 10,000 boxes are sent through 30 freight forwarding companies from the UAE to the Philippines daily, Artillaga said, bringing the total value of goods to Dh30 million daily.
During peak seasons like Christmas, the number of boxes sent to the Philippines doubles. The risk of delays and holdovers also increases as most Filipinos send more appliances during these times and sometimes sneak in prohibited items like vehicle spare parts and commercial goods.
At the consultation meeting, Cortes advised the companies to officially write their concerns so he can direct it to the Bureau of Customs through the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Artillaga said senders should also carefully consider abiding by customs rules to avoid inconvenience.
“The safety of the cargo will come from you, our senders, and not from us. It will all depend on how you pack the goods and what items you put inside the box. Remember, this is just a paper box that has a capacity of up to 300kg; but many people put as much as 500kg worth of goods that could cause the box to get damaged.”
PROHIBITED ITEMS:
1) Guns of any kind of weapons
2) Bladed, sharp and pointed objects
3) Paint, thinner, varnish and similar chemicals
4) Firecrackers and explosives
5) Toxic substances
6) Corrosive materials and mercury
7) Flammable and poisonous gases
8) Flammable liquids
9) Commercial goods (goods in large quantities and not intended for personal use)
10) Pornographic material
