BOC joins in filing cases versus delinquent cargo forwarder

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) again demonstrated its seriousness in upholding the interest of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families after formally filing its own criminal complaints against a local cargo freight forwarder and deconsolidator that abandoned thousands of balikbayan boxes after arriving in the country but not after collecting money for their delivery.

Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno personally oversaw the filing of the complaints at the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Makati Express Cargo, Inc. (MECI) and its key officers and personnel last May 29.

“Behind every Balikbayan Box is a family waiting for a piece of home from their loved ones abroad. These boxes represent years of hard work and sacrifice.

“The BOC will pursue accountability and ensure that those responsible for their abandonment and non-delivery answer for their actions,” Commissioner Nepomuceno said.

The complaints stemmed from MECI’s repeated failure, as a registered freight forwarder and deconsolidator, to process, claim, and facilitate the release of consolidated Balikbayan Box shipments that arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), Port of Cebu, and Port of Davao from 2024 to 2025.

The complaints are in relation to Sections 1430 and 1403 of RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act the CMTA, in relation to Sections 1226 and 800, and the applicable customs regulations governing third-party registration, importer accreditation, and consolidated Balikbayan Box shipments.

The BOC also cited allegations that MECI misrepresented material information in its registration records, failed to truthfully disclose its foreign consolidators, and continued accepting or processing Balikbayan Box shipments despite prior abandoned cargoes and operational deficiencies.

An investigation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also revealed that several of the company’s registered business and warehouse addresses had already been non-operational but MECI continues to do solicit shipments for delivery anywhere in the Philippines.

Early last month, the BOC assisted several OFW families in filing their own complaints against MECI before the DOJ (see Pinoy Exposé, May 4, 2026).

BOC records showed that a total of 117 forty-footer containers containing approximately 36,826 Balikbayan Boxes were left unclaimed and were subsequently declared impliedly abandoned in favor of the government.

Of the total abandoned shipments, 65 containers containing around 19,671 boxes were consigned through the MICP, 50 containers containing approximately 16,431 boxes arrived through the Port of Cebu, and two containers containing approximately 724 boxes were shipped through the Port of Davao.

As far back as October 2025, the BOC already issued a ‘Final Show Cause Order’ on MECI to settle its legal obligations for the shipments’ release to their recipients but was ignored, prompting the BOC to revoke its registration last January 22.

The Notice of Revocation further stated that MECI failed to sufficiently justify its non-compliance despite the issuance of the Final Show Cause Order, constituting grounds for revocation of its registration and accreditation under applicable customs regulations.

As the balikbayan boxes continue to pile up and left undelivered, Department of Finance Secretary Frederick Go and President Marcos Jr. late last year decided to step in by releasing the fund necessary to have all the boxes delivered directly to the homes of their recipients, free of charge, as recommended by the Customs Chief.

As a consequence, the BOC announced last April that it has cleared its inventory of abandoned balikbayan boxes and only a handful remains to be delivered to date.