Infographic: New protocols for balikbayan boxes

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Customs (BOC) will observe new protocols for balikbayan boxes as ordered by President Benigno Aquino III.

Aquino instructed the BOC to stop conducting random physical checks of balikbayan boxes after the agency went under fire for its stricter inspections of the packages.

The BOC said Aquino's orders aim to ensure that the inspections are "done in a manner that maximized public safety while assuring the broader public that their boxes are not subject to unauthorized tampering."

"It is incumbent on the state to uphold its duty to protect our people. But in doing so there should be no contradiction between the need to ensure the implementation of the law, the promotion of the security of the country, and the rights and privileges of our people," the BOC said in a earlier statement.