The
Department of Trade and Industry’s Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (DTI-FTEB)
warned the public against the 43 unreputable freight forwarders, which were the
subject of complaints from shippers and consignees for non-delivery of Balikbayan boxes.
“In its latest advisory, DTI-FTEB listed
these erring foreign and local sea freight forwarders to prevent consumers in
patronizing their services. The advisory also cited the 54 foreign freight
forwarders/consolidators from Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East and USA that
have pending complaints pertaining to Balikbayan boxes,” DTI-Consumer
Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary Atty. Victorio Mario A. Dimagiba narrated.
The FTEB, a DTI-CPG line bureau, regularly posts its advisory of erring foreign
and local sea freight forwarders for non-delivery of Balikbayan boxes in the
DTI website.
The non-delivery of Balikbayan boxes usually occurs when foreign consolidators/
principal sea freight forwarders do not remit a portion of their collected
charges to their accredited Philippine agents/ local sea freight forwarders to
prompt the release and delivery of balikbayan boxes.
“When necessary funds are not remitted to accredited Philippine agent/
local freight forwarders, the shipment or the balikbayan boxes with the Bureau
of Customs (BOC) will not be released and will not be delivered to consignees/
recipients”, Undersecretary Dimagiba explains.
Unfortunately,the DTI-FTEB records show that some
incidents of undelivered balikbayan boxes involved freight forwarding companies
with accreditation. Thus, we have already revoked the accreditation of D’Winner
Logistics Phils. Inc. and Globalnet International Freight, Inc. and currently
seeking for revocation of accreditation of Steadfast Air-Sea International
Incorporated for, together with its licensed Customs Broker/Mr. Victorino C.
Guilles, Jr., abandoning shipment
consigned to it," Dimagiba
underscored.
The DTI-FTEB implements an accreditation scheme for sea freight forwarding
companies. As of 09 January 2015,
the DTI-FTEB has issued the accreditation certificate to 664 sea freight
forwarders, of which 57 are also engaged in handling Balikbayan box shipments.
Undersecretary
Dimagiba stressed, “The
accreditation scheme helps professionalize the freight forwarding industry and
the DTI will continue to strictly implement its criteria to weed out those
companies that are not qualified to engage in this business."
The DTI enjoins the public to regularly check the following websites for
guidance on which sea freight forwarders they can transact with and be assured
in sending their Balikbayan boxes:
For more news on DTI please visit http://tradeneconomydti.blogspot.com/
http://tradeneconomydtiact.blogspot.com/
