How the Bureau of Customs Spoiled the Fun

What a very clever lot those Customs people are…

Brilliant bunch, I tell yah.

What’s next? Game over or we got some more task in hand?

Tsk tsk tsk…

Grabe talaga mga customs, to think na transparent na nga yung box para hindi na gaano ma question and yet pinilit pa rin buksan.

Sir yuga, i think you should have filed a formal compaint about this the moment you knew that the package was forcibly opened.

Hindi na sila marunong mahiya…

Pwedeng pinalitan na rin yan ng 2nd hand Nokia E72 by the Customs Head who got the same phone hehehe…. tsk tsk.

Bad Gorillas!

file a complaint T_T grabe talaga.

ganyan talaga ang mga taga customs… mga kurakot.. no wonder madaming taga custom ang mayayaman.. please confirm sir yuga na orig pa din yang unit.. baka pinalitan na nila ng china phone.. ajejeje

Dapat jan sa mga taga customs i-pabitag kay Tulfo para maturaan ng leksyon at gawin ng maayos trabaho nila.

@RJ ganyan tlga sila pati un laptop ko noon binuksan nila. pgdatng skn dami ng finger prints.

That’s terrible!…Those Customs employees should be reported and slammed-in into jail!

sop. hehe! baka inisip nila meron iba pang gadgets nakatago sa loob ng cellphone. lol!

You got a very good evidence for a solid complaint. Will you file one sir Abe?

kayo naman.. ngayon lang sila nakakita ng cellphone! x_X

ps: did customs charge you a tax or anything?

a few years ago, i once received a webcam (personal/gift) from a friend in canada (worth php 1500 including stamps).

the customs in my local post office charged me tax,etc worth 750 pesos!

I was busy then kaya di na ko naka-pagtanong sa main office if it is really correct and just.

What could their excuse be? Did they think it was a bomb? Was there a real E72 or just a box? Pakialamero naman!

haha lintek talaga mga customs na yan. daming beses na rin ako nadali. kelangan nila talagang buksan kasi baka raw smuggled item. :P

I’m pissed really. They should have called the owner right away if they’re really curious to see it.

Hay such crocodiles!

Goodluck Abe.

@Elizar

Kahit na. Bakit, wala bang x-ray man lang, or any Customs-proper device to inspect goods without tampering them? What they did was bordering on destroying stuff already. So much for being efficient.

@Elizar, “can’t blame them”? “just doing their job”? “baka ntakot na may bomb or something”? Come on! Are you even aware of their practices? That’s like tolerating those bunch! All of the customs officials and grunts should really be replaced. They’ve done way too much harm already.

I purchased a Macbook online about a week ago and I’m waiting for it.

I do hope na wala itong fingerprints and such.

Navictim na din ako before ng customs. yung binili kong cd sa YesAsia, pagkadating d2, puro scratches and fingerprints yung CD. tapos siningil pa ako ng 500 pesos. DHL din yun dati.

@Randell,Eizan: easy lang. the poster was being sarcastic (notice the smiley). sarcasm doesnt really convey well in written media. saka dapat wink ang ginamit. :)

ciao!

Haha! Apparently, hindi masyado nade-deliver ng maayos ang emotions through text only.

Grrr…napa-slow naman yata mag-adapt ng Customs.

Every time i hear news about customs, it pisses me off! I forgot the politician’s name but he said customs is one of the most corrupt agencies in the country!

Nangyari yan b4 sa akin but with the Post Office. Pinagalitan ko sila yong in-charge sa parcel section at sinabihan ko kakasuhan ko sila and I told them to remember my name. and when another package for me arrived at the Post Office, tinawagan nila ako at gusto nila makita ko daw habang binubuksan nila ang package, hayon natoto ang mga ungas at natakot na rin sa akin. Ngayon when ever I go to the Post Office dito sa lugar namin, serve nila ako agad. Patapangan lang yan. Kung duwag ka ay lulukuhin ka lang nila.

@Edgar: hehehe.. nice one bro.. how you respond is who you are.. hehe..

customs responded like who they really are.. mga MAGNA.. CUM LAUDE =)

kamote tlga dito sa ‘pinas… kadiri to the max, kahit sa airport ganyan.

If they intent to inspect the parcel make it proper and handle with care. As few poster stated above there are problem with finger prints, they should have handle it with utmost care! What a shame!

baka sa sobrang third world ng customs ng pinas eh ang XRAY nila hindi tumatagos sa more than 1mm na material. LOL.

had a similar issue before, wanted to get an ubuntu free DVD from their site so I ordered one and paid for shipping. Pagdating sa post office at las pinas, they were charging me close to 700 pesos for “taxes”. mahal daw talaga pag electronics. I was shocked. I wasn’t paying 700 pesos for a free DVD. so i went home and downloaded it nalang. I doubt it kung may matalino naman sa kanila na makakapaginstal ng ubuntu at makikinabang dun no.

BTW, does this mean, yuga, that you have forfeited the challenge?
I wonder how the other bloggers will react to this. Nakakahiya na naman ang pinas! my gahd.

isang tawag lang yan sa IMB!

dapat dyan sa mga customs na yan eh padalhan ng anthrax, para pag bukas ng mga punyetang yan eh mamatay agad yang mga hinayupak na yan!!! customs is no.1 currupt agency…taga dyan ang mga taong biglang yumayaman dahil lahat ng pumapasok at dumadaan sa kanila eh pede pagka perahan, pag hindi na nag lagay hindi makakalabas ang shipment mo.

sir yugs, its hopeless but did it passed in your mind to make a scene ?

ask their names, then show them a picture with the ampatoan clan

@boo hopefully we dont go lower than Cuba, to think na wala pa tayong embargo

tinignan ng customs kung may NTC logo sa likod

Whoa! we should be very proud of our very own CUstoMs!

they are more pea brainer than Saudi Customs. hahaha

what if it is the actual Pandora’s box that’s not supposed to be opened else all sorts of evil will break loose. but come to think of it. it’s already too late. all sorts of evil are already lurking around that department anyway.

@boo

for ubuntu?

bakit ka nila sinisingil?

yung ubuntu disc ko galing pa netherlands…

wala naman ako binayaran even a single cent…

Marami na talaga buwaya sa gobyerno…

dapat sa kanila ilibing gamit ang Back hoe ng mga Ampatuans….

hehehe.. grabe talaga custom.. boss ko nga nagpadala ng second hand mac mini from US, for testing ko dito sa house, naka declare eh as gift.. tapos ang naka declare na price eh $150.. so sabi ko fedex na lang gamitin para walang hassle.. eh ayus.. pagdating sa custom dito.. sa status eh.. naka hold.. yun pala me kelangan ako bayaran sa custom.. and wooping $96… grrrrrrrrrrrrr.. tapos yung bayad sa fedex ng boss ko eh $164… sana binigay na lang ng boss ko yung sa shipping at custom.. dagdagan ko nalang bili na lang ako ng bagong mac mini.. hehehe

and btw sir yuga, check the contents if its still complete. Compare with this person who had the same package… link from andrew no. 58 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnpTsRzO6Nw&feature=player_embedded#

We really urge you to file a complaint PLEASE! For the sake of the others who’ve had their packages tampered as well.

By law, IT related items coming into the PH from anywhere in the world, when in non-commercial quantities, must be free from duties.

That applies especially to ASEAN countries where there should be limited taxes at all, if any, for most personal items shipped in.

Say, a laptop comes from the US. Shipping rates as reflected by the sender (UPS, FedEX, etc.) should be applicable, plus other handling fees (home delivery, etc etc). Otherwise, customs duties must be totally free.

I emphsize “should”, kasi siyempre, may sarili naman batas yung mga customs natin.

Now, not because there are no duties, does not mean they cannot inspect. But quid pro quo I say…why inspect when you already know its not taxable?

nababahala ako… bakit walang kasamang charger? LOL.

o kaya naman, hindi kaya ang tunay na challenge is for you to figure out that you dont have to decode the clue anymore because the box is already open? LOL Kidding.

damn those crocodiles! if they’re to sell their conscience and brains, i’m sure it’d be very very expensive! good as new e, hindi nagagamit! mga hinayupak talaga!

hahahaha. naglabasan tuloy ang mga galit sa customs (sa poor service nila).

dear bureau of customs,

pls improve your website for more FAQs and info campaigns about your regulations, taxes, duties, and exemptions.

madaming nadadale at naiisihan/iniisahan dahil walang nakaaalam sa magulong system nyo.

NAGING OT na itong site ni sir yuga ;-)
di bale, favorable nman sa site activity eh. hehe

@rico: It might appear OT in a way, yeas. But it helps that people can vent their frustrations and express their disgust on certain issues in this land of corruption and cretinous officials. Remember the RFID? That too, got so much angst here. At least Sir Abe is doing us a service.

Long Live Blogging, Long Live YUGA!

Smile!!

pang-asar naman yung customs! transparent na nga, binuksan pa. tsk tsk.

testing comments

at least may other side of the story na rin. :)

viewed the video showing the other contestant who got his box broken. from the same video it seems that not everything is out in the open. not sure but the background itself looks like a box containing the other goodies. pag ganon *at* assuming na taga customs talaga ang pumwersa sa transparent box ay baka magkaron talaga ng probable cause.

just my opinion.

ciao!

they also want to try the phone – kayo naman///sila gusto mauna… ehehhe…. pero… sometimes they scrutinize everything esp. hardware… unless… there is a note saying do not open or case… if open by YOU then u will be assign to maguindanao province..again .. hehehehhe

if customs weren’t THAT shitty I wouldn’t have to “bypass” them. I’ve been customs free since they screwed with my business shipment worth 800k. Bottomdwelling mother F***ers. SEO campaign against customs anyone?

naharang din yung inorder kong item, maliit na earphones lang yun, total of $44.99 (1.1lbs) yung item and shipping. magkano kaya babayaran ko? badtrip nga eh, wala man lang nag inform sakin, kahit yung fedex na dumating na pala yung item ko last dec 17 pa. tapos ngayon nasa customs daw.

@xandrouz: mura lang tax nyan tol ang problema ppnta ka pa ang hasel. grabe earphones nalang hinarang pa although electronics yan pero xmpre diba, haiz pinas talaga. mamaya ttawag nako tignatin natin kung ung akin e nakalusot.

hasel tlga yung akin nga kkunin ko cgro tom na forward na sa customs. nagiicp nga ako kasi malapit na pasko baka mas mahal isingil e kaso auko naman tumagal kasi baka mapano. dapat yan itawag ko kung saan pero malamang malapit lang din yan sa airport. dapat ikaw ang kukuha talaga e tapos bbuksan daw sa harap mo tapos icacalculate yungtax. ok lang yan mura lng yan.

ay hindi ko lang alam bro ang maganda nyan hindi ka na ppunta, kaso ang hirap maghintay sa ganyan eh. mahirap maghintay sa hindi naman sigurado. yung customs ng post office hanggang bukas nalang pasok. kaya try m na pumunta bukas kung ako sau.

ask m nalang sa operator malapit lang din ung naia kasi ang pnta ko bukas ung customs ng post office pasay area din. kalayo taga commonwealth kaya ako. sana lang hindi mahal singilin sakin.

guys nakuha ko na iphone P3400 cningil sakin. pero natawaran ko ng 2k. wala e gnun tlga.

badtrip talaga, nag email nako sa FEEDBACK ng website nila, ewan ko lang kung magrereply sila.

This i the third blog na nakita ko na nagtatackle ng customs kurakot. Anyways, natatakot na nga ako sa item ko sa FedEx na naharang ng customs.

It’s a $30 worth of toy from play-asia.

Sana lang dumating ito nang maayos sa akin.

Well, I ordered a $30 item via Play-Asia and when it arrived here, customs is asking me Php2k for taxes. That’s double the amount I have paid for.

Lesson learned ika nga.

It’s much better to buy here locally than import stuffs.

Kindly read my whole story here: http://www.jefusion.info/2010/01/onlne-shopping-fedex-and-philippine.html

OMG! I’ve read the article and the comments. I was thinking of buying stuff online. It looks like a bad idea na. I agree with the sentiments of the people commenting on this post. A complaint should be filed. It angers me on how stupid this guys from customs are. It was in a clear plastic container. I’m sure the sensors would’ve detected something if it had dangerous contents.

We (me and my family) also experienced something like this last Dec ’08.

We were expecting a package from the US sent by our relatives. Of course, it’s for the holidays and everyone in the family has at least one item. Well, everyone except my cousin who was expecting a BNEW mobile phone.

Turns out, there should’ve been two phones in the box. The old used one (for my younger cousin) and a BNEW one with all the trimmings. Alas, the BNEW one went AWOL after a trip into Customs.

I was infuriated by this and was planning to make legal steps. However, my mom and grandma said that “it’s probably best not to get in their way”. I don’t know if they’re scared of them or something, or maybe they just want to avoid the hassle.

I guess the rumors are indeed true. Those people from that Bureau make money out of other people’s belongings. That, and they charge you with every possible crap they can come up with. SHEESH!

LMAO. You know what. Everybody’s got a problem with customs. I got charged 200% of my purchase price! See my blog entry here:

http://zeromd.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/200-customs-tax-only-in-the-philippines/

Yuga, you’ve got a very strong case against customs. I suggest lumapit ka kay tulfo or any media that can expose these guys in customs. Na biktima na din ako nyan… I had a package shipped to me via fedex worth 5k, tapos they billed me around 3.8k… it was just a special computer mouse… kakaiba yung fees nila… may storage fee na 800 pesos just for a damn mouse… kakaiba talaga mga hayop na yan…

putang inang customs na yan. i sent my gf a dslr at im looking at the fedex tracking sabi “clearance delays” im guessing ng pipicture taking na ang mga mokong na un!

guess how much i paid? P4,000 para i release. putang ina hinold nila ng ilang days so daily pumpatak ung fee. suppose to be friday at sa house ideliver guess what my gf had to pick it herself kasi dami nila reasons bakit matagal. i had a feeling palusot lng nila un para madagdag ang stocking fee kasi balak nila tuesday pa i deliver. i am gonna write a complaint to them. and to the customer service na they ignored my gf’s call whenever they see her number. humanda kayo i want this on the news.

same experience with customs.
my friend sent fossil watches neatly packed and invoiced as gifts.
kunwari pa e sa harap daw ng pinsan nyabubuksan.
pgopen e ala n ung 2 tin cans and ung 3 watches pinagsamasama sa isang tin can.. which means ala n ung mga protective foam etc, puro gasgas tuloy.
tpos my nerve p cla n icharge cya ng 1900PHP n taxes?

guys share your stories here malay natin mapansin to at maayos

http://bmpm.abs-cbnnews.com/blogs/ems-post-office.html

katako naman.. balak pa naman ng friend ko from japan ipadala sa akin yung iPhone 3G kasi bumili sya ng iPhone 4… ayoko mag bayad pag kinuha ko yung iPhone. dati kasi noong chocolates at pictures ang pinapadala nya nag babayad pa kami ng 70 pesos i think. paano pa kaya pag iPhone..

grrrr..

wow galing ng mga taga customs. anu kaya mangyayari sa c905 ko pagdating nun dito. dapat sir nag file ka ng complaint.

BF ko nasa states, sabi niya padala daw niya sakin Citizen watch. Ive been waiting for one week already. ng worry ako baka makapagbayad pako nito ng mas mahal pa? update ko lang kayo what will happen next.. :)

Jennie, if its DHL go see Ferdie Legaspi – the Import Manager at DHL Hub in Villamor. Ask him to accompany you to explain to the customs officer in charge that the parcel is a “gift.” Ferdie knows me personally.

Under the our customs laws, the price that is used as basis for computing the duties and taxes is defined as the “price actually paid or payable” or what we refer to as PAPP. If you did not pay for the goods because the same is just a gift then the transaction value should be zero.

How do you show that you did not pay for it? Show to them the Commercial Invoice of the article which shows that the one who sent you the goods is the buyer. A copy of the charge slip of the credit card used is also useful.

If you have problems convincing customs at the DHL, then send me a direct email. I will help out in the explanation.

Good luck.

Ramon

Good day Sir Ramon. I would like to query about something. My bf will send me a used iPhone as a gift for valentine’s day. I’ve read that it’ll be taxed even if declared as gift?? Because the first time he sent me a package as a gift for my birthday,the guy in the customs explained to me that I should pay the taxes and duties even if it’s a gift,especially electronics as declared in the law.it’s even posted in their walls(but he let me go free saying cause it was my first time and it’s my birthday). Anyways if I’m not oblige to be taxed, is there a written law that would support it? if I have to pay, I’m wondering if how much will it be taxed? Any advice on what I should do and how I should plead my case @ the customs? Any courier you would suggest from Taiwan? Would really appreciate any help/advice as I don’t have a job right now and couldn’t pay a big amount. Thanks in advance.

sir ramon, my sister sent me a gift coming from london. she shipped it thru fedex. however, when i tracked the delivery it stated that there was a delay since i need to pay the import tax. i asked my sister in london reagrding the terms of her contract with fedex there and she told me that fedex never told her about the import duties and taxes that she should pay. all they did was to ask her to declare the value of the goods. i was enraged when i learned of the amount of the import tax because i felt and truly believed that she was deceived. she later on called fedex in london and asked them regarding the import taxes imposed here in our country and their only response was that they are not aware of the Philippines (how stupid are they notto know about that – almost every country imposes an import tax). moreover, the receipt states that it is them that will shoulder the import taxes. however, they told her that it does not contain an importer’s number hence I as the consignee should shoulder the taxes. i’ve read in your previous comments about declaring it as a gift. my problem is that my sister never declared it when she shipped the package. is it still possible for me to use it as an argument even though my sister was not able to declare it? what other options can I avail? hoping to hear from your reply soon. i’m in a limbo right now. more so my sister,who only wanted to make me happy in my birthday.thank you in advance

very good, it’s very useful to me, thank you very much!