THE government has completed the delivery of 25,818 balikbayan boxes left abandoned at the Port of Manila and the Port of Davao to their legal claimants under a ‘door-to-door, free delivery’ program of the Marcos administration for the benefit of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.
Department of Finance Secretary Frederick Go made the announcement after joining Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno in another round of distribution at the Port of Cebu last March 24.
“Patuloy ang Bureau of Customs at ang Department of Finance, kasama ang DMW (Department of Migrant Workers), sa pagtulong para maibalik ang mga abandoned boxes sa mga pamilya.
“Hindi natin hahayaan na maloko ang ating mga OFW. Sisiguraduhin ng gobyerno na protektado ang kanilang pinaghirapang padala,” the Finance Chief told some 30 OFW families who are present during the distribution.
The rights and welfare of the OFW community have always been on top of President Marcos Junior’s list of priorities since taking office in 2022.
For his part, on assuming the post of Customs commissioner in July 2025, Nepomuceno ordered an inventory of all unreleased balikbayan boxes in all of the bureau’s 17 collection districts. It was disclosed that there are at least 140 container vans fully loaded with more than 38,000 balikbayan boxes yet to be processed for release to their respective claimants.
These shipments were paid in advance by OFWs, including their free deliveries to their families back home.
However, they were simply abandoned by unscrupulous cargo freight forwarders and ‘deconsolidators’ on arrival in the Philippines by not paying the proper taxes and duties to the BOC.
Appraised of the situation, President Marcos Junior late last year approved the recommendation of Secretary Go and Commissioner Nepomuceno for a free, door-to-door delivery program with the cost to be shouldered by the government.
At the same time, Secretary Go instructed the Customs chief to crack the whip against erring freight forwarders by suing them in court in partnership with law enforcement agencies.
Commissioner Nepomuceno also proposed the further strengthening of the accreditation process for those applying to deliver balikbayan boxes. This now includes the posting of a ₱2 million cash bond to ensure the financial viability of the applicant (see also Pinoy Exposé, February 19, 2026).
In compliance with the President’s policy of prioritizing the OFWs, the BOC contracted at least 3 logistics companies to undertake the delivery that started last December. The delivery of the final batch at the Port of Manila totaling 24,536 boxes was personally overseen by Secretary Go last February 18 (see linked above).
The latest tally as of March 23, showed that 13,842 boxes have been delivered thru the Port of Cebu; 8,475 boxes at the Manila International Container Port (MICP); 2,699 boxes thru the Port of Subic, 732 boxes thru the Port of Davao; and 70 boxes at the POM.
Commissioner Nepomuceno said their inventory showed there are only 15,084 boxes to be delivered, majority of them thru the MICP (14,487 boxes) at the rest thru the Port of Cebu (498 boxes).