ABU DHABI // Filipino expatriates have welcomed news that boxes of personal goods sent to their homeland will no longer be opened and inspected by customs authorities.
On Monday, Philippine president Benigno Aquino III asked the Bureau of Customs to stop the random inspections of so-called balikbayan boxes – Tagalog for "returning to one's homeland" – sent from overseas.
Instead, the boxes, which typically contain personal items such as toiletries and clothing, will undergo an X-ray examination. Customs officials plan to seek help from freight forwarding companies to install X-ray machines in their warehouses. The agency is also looking at ways of acquiring K9 units and additional CCTVs for its ports.
It is business as usual at freight forwarding companies in the Emirates.
“We’ve been getting so many calls from our customers today,” said Luz Galvez, chief executive of Luzan Express Cargo. “They’re no longer worried about items missing from their boxes.”
The company will continue to require customers to fill out a packing list, and advise them against sending items in bulk, she said.
The contents of a balikbayan box must not exceed US$5,000 (Dh18,366) in value, and should be for personal use only.
Joyce Espiritu, 27, a nurse in Abu Dhabi who plans to send one in November, said she was delighted that there would not be inspections of the balikbayan — Tagalog for ‘returning to one’s homeland’- boxes.
"A balikbayan box contains personal items sent to our loved ones," she said. "I'm glad our government listened to us and decided against the inspection of our boxes."
Nhel Morona, country co-ordinator for Migrante Middle East, said it was a “partial victory for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)”.
“It was mainly due to the mounting pressure from OFWs around the world,” he said. “But it appears that they have not removed the possibility of opening the boxes, depending on what they discover on the X-ray machines and K9 units.”
Earlier this week, Filipinos expressed dismay over plans to open the boxes of personal goods they send home to their families, saying it was an invasion of their privacy. Hundreds of thousands took to social media to criticise the move.
The migrant rights group had called on Filipinos living and working abroad not to send remittances on August 28 to protest against physical inspections of balikbayan boxes.
“We’re reviving the Zero Remittance Day to send a strong message to our government to protect the OFWs’ rights and welfare,” Mr Morona said. “There’s no assurance from the government that they won’t be opening the boxes anyway.”
rruiz@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Fight card
1. Featherweight 66kg: Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg: Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg:Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg: Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg: Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg: Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg: Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Ahmed Abdelraouf of Egypt (EGY)
9. Featherweight 66kg: Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
More on Quran memorisation:
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
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Reddit
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Redditor
The users of Reddit
Robinhood
A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
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Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Short squeeze
Traders forced to buy a stock they are shorting
Naked short
An illegal practice
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Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
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Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Brescia 1 (Skrinia og, 76)
Inter Milan 2 (Martinez 33, Lukaku 63)
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
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