Malacañang on Saturday said the Bureau of Customs is not singling out overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with its tighter rules on balikbayan boxes and it is serious in going after smugglers.
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“That’s what the Bureau of Customs is trying to stop … the misuse of balikbayan boxes”, she said.
Buhay Party-list Representative Lito Atienza said that the newest policy by the BOC targeting on the balikbayan boxes of OFWs should not be tolerated. “Balikbayan boxes are often channels of private and personal communication between migrant workers and their families in the Philippines”.
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara is aiming for higher tax exemption on the amount of good and items from OFWs amid the BOC’s planned random inspection of their balikbayan boxes.
At present there are an estimated 1,500 containers of Balikbayan Boxes coming in each month, translating to around 18,000 containers a year, or around 7.2 million boxes.
Following BOC’s announcement on the increase in number of random inspection of balikbayan boxes, many OFWs have turned to social media to complain about items in their balikbayan boxes that were reportedly stolen or damaged upon inspection.
Senator Ralph Recto earlier proposed to increase the current allowed tax-exempt value of balikbayan box contents to $1500 (P70,096.36) – a “small thing compared to the P2.28 trillion that [overseas Filipinos] sent back home previous year”.
Recto, chairman of Senate finance subcommittee, which is reviewing the BOC’s budget, said he would grill Customs officials on the status of non-intrusive inspection techniques, which could detect contraband goods.
For example, gun parts, ammunition and gun accessories were found in seven balikbayan boxes, 81,529 tablets of anti-anxiety drugs misdeclared as food supplements in November 2014, 413 Casio G-Shock watches, and even a custom Harley Davidson Chopper motorcycle of a Hollywood scriptwriter in 2011, among other high-end vehicle parts, have also been delivered through balikbayan boxes.
Senators ask customs: ‘What happened to millions spent on purchase of X-ray machines?’
In an interview with ANC Monday, Lina defended his plan to open balikbayan boxes, saying the bureau is mandated to prevent the entry of contraband items as well as assess the value of items that need to be taxed.
“Filipinos in general, and OFWs in particular, have a long-cherished tradition of caring and sharing with families, neighbors, and friends, and this tradition is symbolized by the balikbayan box”, said Baldoz.
In the House of Representatives, two party-list lawmakers have called for a congressional inquiry into the BOC proposal to open and inspect more balikbayan boxes.
Defensor-Santiago said she is filing a Senate Resolution urging the investigation into the matter.
Asked to comment, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. indicated the issue was not yet clear to him.
To shore up its revenues, Colmenares suggested that the BOC “instead curb enormous corruption in the agency and target big-time smugglers rather than harass OFWs”. “This would also slow down the process and further congest ports”, he said.
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The BOC got the worst rating of minus 63 or “very bad” in the 2013 SWS Survey of Enterprises on Corruption.
