The Bureau of Customs has implemented an order that allows overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to send up to P150,000-worth “balikbayan boxes” annually without paying tax and duties, but Senator Sonny Angara said the given limit is inconsistent with the law.
In an oversight committee hearing, Angara said OFWs should be able to send up to three P150,000-worth of tax and duty free balikbayan boxes per year.
Angara said the Customs Administrative Order (CAO) No. 05-2016, which notes “all balikbayan boxes per sender in any calendar year shall not exceed P150,000, does not accord with the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), which was enacted in 2016.
He added during the deliberation of the CMTA last year, lawmakers took into consideration that majority of OFWs send balikbayan boxes every three or four months.
“Magbe-Ber months na naman po at sigurado akong nagsisimula nang mamili ng mga ipapadala ang ating mga kababayan abroad. Noong mga nakaraang taon pa namin naipasa ito. Sana ay mapakinabangan na ngayon ng ating mga OFE ang mga benepisyong hatid ng batas na ito,” he said.
Department of Finance Assistant Secretary Mark Joven said there is an “ambiguity” in the language of the law, which resulted in the different interpretation.
BoC implemented the CAO 05-2016 on August 1, along with the Memorandum Order 04-2017 that requires balikbayan box senders to itemize the contents of their packages.
