OFWs remain skeptical
‘No politics’ involved in stopping physical inspection of balikbayan boxes – Palace
Despite President Aquino’s directive stopping the random physical inspection of balikbayan boxes, a coalition of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) groups and advocates vowed to remain vigilant over government policies and programs that directly affect the welfare and rights of Filipino migrant workers.
A day after stopping the Bureau of Customs (BOC) plan, Malacañang assured that there was “no politics” behind President Aquino’s decision, dispelling allegations that the Chief Executive changed his mind on the issue supposedly for fear of a backlash on the administration candidates in the 2016 elections.
The President’s main consideration in overturning the BOC plan is the welfare of the OFWs and their families in the country, Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.
“In his decision, President Aquino took into consideration the importance of the balikbayan box which is the fruit of hard work of each OFW to provide for his family. The President listened to the sentiment of his bosses, including the OFWs,” Coloma said in a Palace press briefing.
“Our OFWs are not looking for special treatment,” said John Bertiz, the official spokesman of the coalition that include the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, the Philippine Migrants Rights Watch, the United Filipino Seafarers, the Filipino Migrant Workers, and the OFW Family Partylist, among others. “All they ask for is for the government to treat them with respect and dignity.”
OFWs’ welfare
But Vice President Jejomar C. Binay slammed the malicious presumption held against OFWs.
“Let’s not soil the image of our OFWs. The opening of boxes sends the message that they are smugglers and law-breakers. Let’s stop that perception,” Binay said in an interview over Radyo 5 Tuesday.
Balikbayan boxes usually contain just “candies and chocolates” for migrant Filipinos’ loved ones in the Philippines anyway, Binay noted.
But Coloma maintained that the original plan of the customs bureau to randomly inspect boxes was meant to intensify the campaign against smuggling, not deliberately undermine the welfare of OFWs. He noted that they have reports that some groups have exploited the balikbayan boxes to circumvent the law.
“The BOC balikbayan box fiasco shows that our public officials also have much to learn from and about our OFWs,” Bertiz added in a statement issued Tuesday.
The coalition nevertheless expressed gratitude to President Aquino for his timely intervention.
“We deem it unfortunate, however, that the balikbayan box controversy had to reach at Palace doorstep for it to be resolved,” said Bertiz, a former OFW himself. “It reflects poorly on the consultative mechanisms within government agencies, such as the BOC.”
Bertiz said had the government reached out to the OFW global community before abruptly undertaking random checks, the “conflagration” could have been averted.
Monday night, the President ordered the customs bureau to stop the random physical inspection of balikbayan boxes and instead implement a 100 percent x-ray and K-9 inspection of the cargos. The bureau will only conduct physical inspection of boxes in cases of derogatory findings. However, this will be done in the presence of a representative of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) or a designated officer of an OFW organization.
Aquino’s decision was reached after a meeting with Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Customs chief Alberto Lina in Malacañang in the wake of public outcry against the rigid inspection of the OFW boxes.
Several lawmakers, OFWs and their families, and other concerned sectors have criticized the administration for bullying the modern-day heroes instead of focusing on the crackdown on big-time smugglers.
Move vs smuggling
In explaining the screening of the balikbayan boxes via x-ray and canine, Coloma said it is the duty of the government to stop groups engaged in smuggling weapons, illegal drugs and other expensive items to evade taxes.
“This is the reason the President ordered a 100 percent x-ray and K-9 inspection of the container vans at no cost to the sender or to the OFW,” he said.
The OFW coalition asked Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina to disclose to the public the result of his agency’s investigation into the alleged abuses of balikbayan boxes containing what the government claimed smuggled goods.
Despite President Aquino’s decision, Congress intends to pursue investigation of the BOC.
The House of Representatives will continue with its probe of the BOC operations in stopping smuggling in the country.
Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Nery Colmenares said the President’s decision to stop the BOC plan should not be credited to Aquino but to all Filipinos, particularly OFWs, who joined the protest against it.
OFW Family Party-List Rep. Roy V. Señeres revealed that various OFW groups held a dialogue with Lina to personally express their opposition.
Seneres appealed to Lina to scrap the plan, noting that the holiday season is fast approaching and many OFWs are expected to flood the BOC with balikbayan boxes for relatives and loved ones.
At the Senate, Sen. Nancy Binay urged Lina to disclose who gave him the orders to open and unduly impose taxes on balikbayan boxes.
Binay, who filed a resolution calling on her colleagues to probe the BOC plan, said she believes the latest anti-OFW policy has the imprimatur of Malacañang.
Binay said she believes the BOC chief is merely following instructions from his superiors like a good soldier.
“Chairman Lina is a good soldier and may just be following orders from his bosses. Matagal nang pinag-iinitan ng Palasyo ang mga OFWs (Palace officials have long been hitting on OFWs),” Binay noted.
She recalled that at the height of the “zero remittance” call made by OFWs two years ago, Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government doesn’t benefit from their remittances as they go directly to their families.
“Di na nga mabigyan ng tamang tulong-ligal at suporta ang ating mga OFW, may gana pa ang administrasyon ipitin sila dahil di naman daw nakikinabang ang gobyerno sa padala ng mga kababayan nating nagsasakripisyo abroad (our OFWs have been lacking in legal assistance and support and yet this administration has the gall to ignore them saying the government is not gaining anything from their sacrifices abroad),” she said.
Meanwhile, Lina encouraged the public to report unauthorized physical inspections of balikbayan boxes.
“We enjoin the public to report Customs employees who commit unauthorized physical inspections of balikbayan boxes to submit photos and videos of these acts to helpdesk@customs.gov.ph with the necessary details so we can act on them,” Lina said in a statement. (With reports from Ben R. Rosario, Hannah L. Torregoza, and Jenny F. Manongdo)