MORE than 12,000 balikbayan boxes of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have not reached their destination since 2023, prompting the Department of Migrant Workers (DMV) to warn OFWs of the proliferation of fraudulent freight forwarding schemes.
In a statement, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) disclosed that around 12,400 balikbayan boxes have been retrieved and sent to their respective owners since 2023.
The DMW and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) have facilitated the retrieval and delivery to their respective owners of over 9,900 balikbayan boxes,” said the DMW.
“Just last week, 2,500 more boxes were received at the Port of Davao and are now being pre-pared for delivery free of charge to the rightful recipients in Mindanao,” it added.
The Department said, however, that there are balikbayan boxes that were lost but have not been retrieved.
“For unrecovered boxes, the department has made available P30,000 in financial assistance per affected OFW,” said the DMW.
There have been widespread complaints from OFWs about these undelivered, delayed, or lost balikbayan boxes.
This was even a subject of a legislative probe conducted by the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs (HCOWA) in March 2025.
The DMW said a massive public education campaign will also be conducted to warn OFWs against using unaccredited forwarders and inform them of their rights and options.
In a bid to prevent the continued proliferation of such schemes, the DMW and the BOC part-nered with other government agencies to craft a Joint Administrative Order (JAO).
The government agencies involved are the Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Overseas Workers Welfare Admin-istration (OWWA), and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
The JAO establishes a whole-of-government framework to regulate the sea cargo forwarding industry, protect OFWs from scams, and ensure that balikbayan boxes reach their destination safely and on time.
It also includes a multi-agency complaints and monitoring system to fast-track the reporting, tracking, and resolution of cases involving delayed or lost boxes.
A balikbayan box contains various items sent by OFWs to their relatives back home. These usu-ally include non-perishable food, toiletries, household items, electronics, toys, designer clothing, or other items difficult to find in the Philippines.
