BOC sues 5 more cargo forwarders

MANILA, Philippines — For abandoning 3,176 balikbayan boxes and failing to deliver these to the recipients, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) has sued five more cargo forwarding companies.

BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno led the filing of cases at the Department of Justice yesterday against Ikthus Trading Corp., Marcelo D. Laylo Cargo Forwarders, Me Amoree International Consumer Goods Trading, MT De Guzman Non-Specialized Wholesale Trading and Cargoflex Haulers Corp.

The forwarders were charged with “various violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and other applicable laws,” the BOC said in a statement.

Nepomuceno’s deputy chief of staff, Chris Noel Bendijo, said two of the firms have filed motions for reconsideration before the BOC, claiming they, too, have been “victims of the actions done by consolidators abroad.”

According to Nepomuceno, it was possible that the two companies were not paid by foreign consolidators upon the arrival of the balikbayan boxes in the country.

The undelivered balikbayan boxes sat for around two years or more, with the contents already expired or damaged, while the companies put the blame on the BOC for not releasing the boxes, he said.

In the complaint, the BOC accused the companies of using “schemes involving fraudulent misdeclaration and undervaluation of goods, unauthorized deconsolidation activities, outright smuggling and non-declaration of commercial goods,” among other violations.