With 70 percent of the balikbayan boxes arriving at home during the Christmas season, the Customs Office (BOC) has come out with a tracking online system to help the public know the status of their packages. Balikbayan box shipments submitted by local freight forwarders with the BOC, country of origin, port of entry in the country and shipment boarding number (BL).

Families waiting for balikbayan boxes can go to the BOC website, http://customs.gov.ph, to access the system. They must know the name of the carrier and the BL number to be able to trace the shipment in which the balikbayan box is included. Boxes sent from abroad are usually consolidated in batches and placed in a transport container on board a cargo ship bound for the Philippines. Each container has about 400 boxes.