By Rodney J. Jaleco
The lingering effects of recession in America have prompted a top money and cargo remittance service company to innovate once more to satisfy the needs of Filipinos here.
The cooling clime is a sure sign Christmas, the Filipinos’ season of joy and giving, is fast approaching.
The founding chairman of Chartered Forex, Inc. Jimmy Carino, now retired, said they were concerned with the plight of Filipinos hit hard by the dislocations of America’s worst recession in almost 70 years.
Although he now spends most of his time on the golf range, Carino explained he feels an obligation to help Filipinos whose business helped build Forex from a pioneer of the “Balikbayan Box” to one of the top money and cargo remittance companies in the United States.
The Virginia-based firm will launch a special program by the end of September, offering three types of cargo box services that are guaranteed to reach their beneficiaries anywhere in the Philippines before the coming Noche Buena.
GIVING BACK TO PATRONS
“Despite the hardships they’re facing today, sending Christmas gifts is a true Filipino tradition,” Carino averred, adding “they may have to borrow or use their credit cards, but they will surely find a way to give their Christmas presents.”
He said Forex realizes the great sacrifices that every Filipino in America makes to help relatives in need back in the Philippines.
Forex has been a lifeline between overseas Filipinos and their friends and relatives in the Philippines. Established in 1983, it pioneered 24-hour money transfer services but has since diversified into a host of related products and services, including the door-to-door delivery of “Balikbayan Boxes”.
Scores of competing companies have proliferated over the years but Carino assured that as a pioneer, Forex is well-entrenched in this field.
But he did caution that firms engaged in this kind of service appear to mushroom as the Christmas season approaches, often offering cut-throat rates but failing to deliver.
He is saddened by tales of boxes not getting to their destination after months of waiting.
Carino explained that by guaranteeing that their “padala” reaches their love ones on time, the company is doing its share to give people peace of mind that their hard-earned assistance or gifts are doing what they’re supposed to – whether this is to spread Christmas cheer or help a needy relative or just deliver on a promise.
“Our corporate philosophy is that profit is not our business objective, rather that profit is the result of our business objective,” Carino stressed.
He said Forex now has a presence in all 50 states, and in four continents.
COLORS OF THE SEASON
The Forex flyer declared, “Because Christmas is the most colorful season of the year” it is offering a three-tiered, color-coded scheme to prioritize cargo boxes shipped to the Philippines.
The “Red Economy” box costs $65; the “Blue Standard” costs $108; and the “Green Priority”, which has slightly bigger dimensions, costs $125.
Although they travel from the United States to the Philippines at the same speed, the delivery time to the final destination will vary according to the type of box a sender avails.
The “Green Priority” is the VIP service, Carino explained. It’s likely to get ahead of the other boxes so he recommends this service for urgently needed goods or for special gifts that the sender may want to be handled with extra care and attention.
From collections points spanning New Jersey to Virginia to Florida, the cargo boxes are hauled off to ports in Long Beach, CA and Tacoma, WA, among others, through the so-called mini land bridge.
Carino disclosed they are in constant touch with their shippers to ensure the shortest possible time for passage to the West Coast.
He said the mini land bridge speeds up the transport time to 28 days – which is about a week shorter than if they were to load the cargo in Baltimore for the voyage to the Philippines via the Panama Canal.
He said the cargo will go to only three ports in the Philippines – Manila or Subic, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro, facilitating final delivery.
There, Forex agents are standing by for the final leg to recipients.
Forex has set shipping deadlines to guarantee the cargo boxes arrive in time for Christmas Day. The first shipment is on Sept. 29 for Dinagat, Siargao, Camiguin, Siquijor, Guimaras and Camotes Island in the Visayas.
The latest shipment is Nov. 17 for Metro Manila, and the Central and Southern Luzon provinces but Carino cautioned that although they may get to the Port of Manila on time, the many holidays and congestion at the pier could render a timely deliver as “best effort”.
He pointed out that it would always be best to send early, but that they will always do their best because this is their commitment to their customers.
5 Responses to “FOREX Boosts Door-To-Door Cargo Delivery Service” Leave a reply ›
so ds appointed.for several years my parents from us used to send us balikbayan boxes and forex cargo delivered it in jst onemonth tym.lately forex cargo isvery slow in delivery.like nowmy daughter in canada sent us a box last oct.first wk of the said month and up to this day not yet delivered.
to follow up our cargo send last november 20 , 2009 from california to iligan city,philippines
when is my box
to follow up our cargo sending from canada
the expected date is march 25 2010,but until now i dont have any box recieving
when can i get the box????
Hope next month i received my incoming package from Orlando USA..Goodluc i wish it will come on deadline in my house...thanks