Bureau of Customs Files Criminal Complaints Against Makati Express Cargo Over Abandoned Containers

The Bureau of Customs filed criminal complaints on Friday, May 29, against Makati Express Cargo Incorporated for abandoning 147 containers that held 36,826 balikbayan boxes at ports across the Philippines. The containers were intended for overseas Filipino workers and their families. Makati Express Cargo Incorporated is one of 11 firms under investigation for similar abandonments.

Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno stated that Makati Express Cargo Incorporated was the first company charged because it had the largest number of abandoned containers. The complaints allege violations of customs regulations and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

The bureau had issued a final show-cause order to the company in October directing it to process the release of the shipments and pay any taxes due. It revoked the company's registration on January 22, 2026, after repeated failures to lodge goods declarations and claim shipments within required periods.

Nepomuceno said the company charged clients but left without paying duties and taxes. The bureau also cited allegations that the firm provided inaccurate registration information and listed warehouse addresses that were no longer operational. Nepomuceno added that affected overseas Filipino workers are preparing to file large-scale estafa with cybercrime complaints against the company.