Many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) spend months trying to fill their balikbayan boxes to send to their families or bring back home during their vacation. Sadly, these items sometimes get lost in transit because of negligence in the courier’s part or due to unscrupulous people taking the items from the boxes.
Photo credit: Raffy Tulfo in Action / YouTube
Recently, an OFW went to Raffy Tulfo in Action to seek help after airport officials confiscated 30 pieces of canned goods from her luggage, because there is an existing ban against the importation of various meat products from certain countries.
Photo credit: Raffy Tulfo in Action / YouTube
Norma Agtarap, a domestic helper from Hong Kong, bought many items to bring to her family, but was angry that the airport officials removed them from her luggage and refused to let her bring these stuff home.
Photo credit: Raffy Tulfo in Action / YouTube
Despite her pleas for the items to be released, explaining that she worked hard to buy those items and that she had to work from 6AM to 11PM in Hong Kong, the airport staff refused to listen because they also feared for their jobs.
Photo credit: Raffy Tulfo in Action / YouTube
So, Agtarap went to Tulfo for help. Tulfo was angry that the OFW’s stuff were confiscated, especially because there were no warnings against this at the country she came from. He acknowledged her hard work in saving up to get these items for her family, only for the items to be confiscated upon her arrival.
Photo credit: Raffy Tulfo in Action / YouTube
What angered Tulfo even more is that many of these canned goods, particularly the Ma Ling brand, is widely distributed in many stores all over Manila (and most likely in all areas across the Philippines).
Photo credit: Raffy Tulfo in Action / YouTube
Watch part 1 of the story here:
Here’s part 2:
After Tulfo helped Agtarap, he was called out Agriculture Sec. Manny Piñol for helping out the OFW. Piñol reasoned out that the canned goods being sold in the supermarkets could have arrived before the ban was imposed! But Tulfo’s team conducted research and found out this was not the case…
Check out this video:
