A video went viral after a vlogger unboxed an unclaimed balikbayan box, which he bought for PHP5,500 ($99).
Alexis Vines, who has four million followers on Facebook, posted a video saying that he bought the balikbayan box online.
The box weighed around 80 to 100 kilos and was marked for shipping to Negros Occidental. However, it did not have any details about the sender or the recipient.
At the time of writing, the video has gotten 9.7 million views, 8.4K shares, and 32K comments on Facebook. Many netizens shared their experiences of being an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) and how it was “saddening” and “unacceptable” for a balikbayan box not to be received by loved ones in the Philippines.
“Nakakalungkot para sa kapwa naming OFW na makita yung ganyan dahil napakatagal makaipon ng mga gamit na ilalagay sa box bago mapuno,” one commenter said.
Another one said: “Sayang naman. Kawawa ‘yung may ari ng box. Ilang buwan niyang inipon ‘yan tas di rin matatanggap ng pamilya niya.”
Meanwhile, others criticized the cargo company responsible for the said balikbayan box: “Hindi naman talaga kini-claim ‘yan. Dapat idinedeliver ‘yan sa mismong bahay ng sender, kaya nga door to door. Kung bakit hindi nakarating sa receiver ay nasa cargo company na ang problema.”
The box contained dozens of clothing, shoes, and homeware.
In December 2022, the Bureau of Customs sued five forwarding companies that allegedly abandoned almost 7,000 balikbayan box deliveries.
