Good news for all our kababayans abroad, your ‘balikbayan’ boxes are now safe thanks to President Rodrigo Duterte’s ban on Customs from opening them.
During his speech in Thailand, Duterte assured overseas Filipino (OFs) that their ‘balikbayan’ boxes would now be safe as they land in the country.
“I prohibited Customs. The usual excuse is search. Alam mo galing eroplano ‘yan, magdaan ‘yan sa baba. Mayroon na ‘pong x-ray doon, kaya kung may tinago kang boyfriend na binalot mo, makikita na ‘yun doon.”
In addition, Duterte told our kababayans to be assertive and impose their rights; he even gave his go signal to use his name if needed.
“Kung pursigihin ka, magsabi ka, “Di ba sabi ni Duterte, hindi buksan ‘yan? Wala akong tinago, hindi ako nag-smuggling,” Duterte added.
The Bureau of Customs was accused of the unnecessary opening of ‘balikbayan’ boxes to check for smuggled goods but some of the recipients of the boxes reported missing items afterwards. -KCO
