The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has decried that the symbolism of the Filipino balikbayan boxes is gradually being destroyed by repeated attempts to use them in smuggling illegal drugs and other contraband to Philippine shores.
“I see balikbayan boxes as a symbol of the love and sacrifice of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) so they can give their families a good life. For others to use these in the illicit trade of drugs that destroy lives and communities is horrifying,” says Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio.
Rubio’s lament came at the heels of successive illegal drug busts using balikbayan boxes.
Recently, as much as 28 kilos of dried marijuana were found in two balikbayan boxes that arrived at the Manila International Container Port. The illegal shipment was worth PHP39.6 million, according to the BOC commissioner.
Rubio said the marijuana was vacuum-sealed in 108 pouches and shipped from Vancouver, Canada through U Mac Forwarders Express, Inc. The shipper’s name was Riza Munar while the intended recipient was a certain John Paul de Leon of San Mateo, Rizal. The boxes were declared to contain used household goods and personal effects.
The BOC chief said charges were to be leveled against the culprits.
Curiously, it was the not the first case of kush, cannabis, or marijuana smuggling from Canada.
Only last December, anti-narcotics agents intercepted PHP30 million worth of kush in two balikbayan boxes from Ontario, Canada.
Taking advantage of the Christmas rush, the boxes entered the Manila port mid-December but caught the attention of drug-sniffing dogs from the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG). An inspection yielded over 20,000 grams of kush hidden inside the boxes.
“Medyo nahihirapan na rin yung local market ng kush, or cannabis or marijuana kasi mahigpit talaga ang kapulisan natin sa Cordillera Region, kaya nago-outsource sila coming from other countries na madali pong ipasok, especially sa countries na legalized o decriminalized na yung use of cannabis o kush,” remarked PDEG Director Police Brig. Gen. Eleazar Matta.
(The local market for kush, cannabis, or marijuana is struggling due to the strict enforcement by police in the Cordillera Region. This has led to the outsourcing of supplies from countries where cannabis use is legalized or decriminalized, making it easier to smuggle into the Philippines.)
The BOC said its biggest illegal drugs bust using balikbayan boxes came during the previous summer. As much as PHP337 million worth of kush, marijuana and cannabis oil were found in 18 balikbayan boxes that entered the Port of Manila.
“We are dedicated to preventing smugglers from resorting to such tactics,” Commissioner Rubio said.
“Safeguarding the integrity of balikbayan boxes, which hold significant meaning for us Filipinos, is crucial. Utilizing this tradition as a smuggling method is completely unacceptable, and we are committed to ensuring that such actions are thwarted.”
Under Philippine Customs regulations, there is no limit to the number of balikbayan boxes that may be shipped by parties overseas. There is however a cap on the value which has been pegged at P150,000 per year.
Shippers of balikbayan boxes to the Philippines are mostly Filipinos based in the Middle East, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Canada, United Kingdom and United States.
