Losing it over Smuggling

The government loses an estimated P3 billion to P5 billion a year from balikbayan boxes that had not been inspected by the Bureau of Customs (BoC), Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina told a joint hearing in the Senate. 

The BoC estimate pegs the monthly loss from balikbayan box smuggling at between P250 million to P416 million, equivalent to P8.2 million up to P13.7 million daily loss.

The latest estimate is much higher than the P600 million a year, or P50 million a month, or P1.6 million a day, in losses earlier claimed by Customs.

When asked by Sen. Grace Poe about remittances brought in by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) into the country, Lina said it ranged from $20 billion to $25 billion.

But Senator Cynthia Villar corrected Lina, saying the remittances were almost $50 billion as OFWs remit about $27 billion through informal channels.

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