LUGGAGE ACCLAIM
DANIEL BETANCOURT TALKS WITH BALIKBAYAN GEAR’S MARIELLE FONG, WHOSE LINEUP OF PRODUCTS ARE HELPING US COME BACK HOME WITH STYLE.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WALTER C VILLA
FILIPINO INNOVATORS
Great ideas are usually born in the most unusual places. They could come from a late-night conversation in a low-lit diner, on a tropical beach with the breeze wafting your hair or during a singalong in a friend’s garage. Marielle Fong, the owner of Balikbayan Gear, had her big idea in an airplane jetting high above the Pacific sometime in 2001. It was during one of the regular, transoceanic trips that she and her husband make as they run an international marketing services company, Boma, with offices in Manila and California.
The couple’s five young children also tagged along on these trips.
Traveling with such a big family means plenty of baggage with children’s clothes, toys and carry-ons. Add to that all the pasalubongs (gifts) that they always bring home to their loved ones and their own personal effects… and that’s a lot of packing. Buying the biggest set of luggage available and maxing out your baggage allowance only goes so far. Marielle’s eye turned to Balikbayan boxes, that quintessentially Filipino travel item that accompanies us on our long-awaited trips to and from the Inang Bayan (motherland).
Often attributed to a Filipino entrepreneur with a West Coast US-based shipping business, the Balikbayan has served as a unique way of transporting luggage for Filipinos ever since it appeared in trolley carts at airports in Manila and California. Measuring 51cm x 51cm x 51cm, the box affords the maximum volume space allotted for a single passenger. For the airlines, its cubic proportion allows for easy stowing and retrieval in the belly of the airplane.
However, for Marielle, the box itself is unappealing to the eye. Most versions are corrugated cartons, in white or dull-brown au naturel. Devoid of any special implements, the owner needs to strap it up with duct tape or rope to keep its more-often-than-not overflowing contents from bursting on the runway or on the carousel.
By the time the Fong’s plane landed, Marielle had devised a simple plan – to create an attractive jacket for this practical, yet uninviting container, a jacket that will bring the box in line with the lifestyle of a Filipino travelista like her. She wasn’t exactly reinventing the Balikbayan box, as she explains, “I was just giving it an upgrade.”
And so with her creation, the Balikbayan box became upper class. Her Balikbayan box cover is a sheath made with durable material in a size that can accommodate a standard cardboard box. Marielle reinforced it with straps and special industrial zippers that withstand wear and tear from repeated use. She even put a see-through pocket where a passenger can slip in his details. It has a tested tensile strength to hold 120 lbs.
Now that she had a great product, she could go back to her usual areas of expertise in marketing it – she’d spent a number of years as a marketing executive in Silicon Valley. The first and natural venue for her product was the Filipiniana section at Rustan’s, it’s something by Filipinos for Filipinos. Her engineer-husband entered the picture, designing a stand that would occupy only one square foot of retail space, but could hold the initial batch of 36 bags. He even figured out a way to fold and effectively package the covers. The bags went into Rustan’s in September 2002. In a week, they were gone.
Pumped up by the encouraging sales figures, the Fongs looked for other distribution points. They eyed places where the cardboard boxes were sold such as National Bookstore, and Marielle can clearly remember the first day her product entered the Makati branch.
“The store manager called at the end of the day. And told me ‘Nawala po lahat’.” [They had all gone], Marielle says and she panicked. “’What do you mean they’ve all gone?’ I said.
I thought they’d been lost or shoplifted!” It turned out customers snapped up the covers in less than eight hours.
Since then Marielle has sold thousands of Balikbayan box covers without any advertising. The covers retail at around PHP1,000/USD24.60 and are available in 160 outlets around the country, including home improvement stores such as Ace, True Value and Handyman, Filipiniana stores in Rustan’s and SM as well as retailers such as Duty Free Philippines and Office Warehouse. It is also available online at www.balikbayangear.com
One of the key features that impresses many buyers is the box cover’s zip-up solution.
Not only does it make the box look stylish, but it also makes it easy to pack and unpack – sparing us those embarrassing moments when our baggage exceeded the allowance and we had to bend down behind the check-in counter to untape, unload and retape our boxes or face the stiff PHP6,135/USD151 fine. (We’ve all been in this situation, right?)
Marielle also extended her product line by designing variations of the cover, so it now comes with wheels, insulation or a trolley. She also came up with more accessories that complement the Filipino traveler’s lifestyle, all in the Balikbayan theme. These include travel bags, straps, wallets, and organizer cubes. The box covers have also had a revamp, introducing more daring colors and funky patterns which cater to younger jetsetters.
Many people initially had doubts about Marielle’s strategy, telling her that her market was too small. After all, how many people fly home every year? But for her, this is not a big concern: “For me it is not the size. Once you capture it, you can sell other things.”
As a devoted wife, loving mother and managing director of a thriving international marketing services company, Marielle Fong already has a lot on her plate. Yet she identified a particular need for travellers that was not being met elsewhere. She was determined to fill the gap and took action.
In the end, she gained more than just an extra baggage allowance. What she came up with is a product that has made travel for many of us much easier, if not – whoops – slightly heavier. Yes, she didn’t reinvent the wheel, but she did give it a pneumatic system.
Her Balikbayan box cover proves that with enough creativity and insight, any business venture, no matter small, can literally take flight.
ELVES IN SANTA’S WORKSHOP
“A man is here to deliver an empty box,” announced our apartment build-ing’s security guard as we talked on the phone. I imagined the quizzical look on his face saying, “Why would anyone have an empty box delivered?”
I explained to him: “In the Philippines, we call this a Balikbayan Box. We fill it with stuff and send it back home.”
“That’s cool! Gifts for the family,” he replied, “We have something like that in Mexico.” There’s a similar concept in Brazil and India, too.
Like many Filipinos living in the US, it’s customary to send a Balikbayan Box. For our convenience, forwarders can deliver empty boxes and in a few weeks, they are back to pick them up. They are like Santa’s elves, lifting boxes (some as heavy as themselves), carrying them down flights of stairs when there’s no elevator, even battling rain or snow, and then loading them on trucks and on to a boat.
On the day of pick-up, the same man who delivered my box arrived with a fever. He couldn’t take a day off as he had a forwarder’s promise to fulfill: “Dahil kailangan makarating,” (Because it needs to be there).
HOW TO PACK A BALIKBAYAN BOX
1. Label who each item is for (especially if you won’t be around to distribute them).
2. Wrap delicate items in bubble wrap or thick garments like sweaters.
3. Seal liquids with tape around the cap and store in plastic bags.
4. Stuff all empty containers with other items.
5. Pack the heavy items on the bottom first. This includes your canned goods and books that can serve as a strong base for the rest of your cargo.
6. Save room for those last minute requests from relatives or any impulse purchases on the way to the airport.
7. Use double-walled boxes. They provide better protection from the steel-toed boots of baggage handlers and will serve you for years.
8. Bring a back-up person to the check-in counter. In case your box is overweight, you can unpack the non-essentials and give them to this person to take home.
9. Get someone to help you weigh your box. Have a friend step on the scale with and then without the box while you take down the readings. The difference is the weight of your box.
10. Label all sides of the box with the name and complete address of the owner or recipient.
11. If it will be sent through a forwarder, fill out the Declaration and Packing List.
NEVER INCLUDE:
● Valuables like money and jewelry
● Firearms, combustible goods, explosives, even toy guns
● Perishables
● Illegal Drugs
● Pornographic materials
● Gambling cards
● Goods of commercial quantities
LOVE IN A BOX
Claire Mercado-Obias finds out why Balikbayan boxes are so close to our hearts…
Opening it is ceremonial. As everyone gathers round, a heavy-duty cutter slices through the thick wad of tape that seals it shut. When the box top is unfolded, those present take a whiff and inhale in the air that is “Amoy America.” One by one, the contents are scooped out: fluffy towels, bath mats, a shiny toilet seat, floral bed sheets with matching pillowcases, corned beef, olive oil, peanut butter, gigantic tins of coffee, peanuts, chocolates, cookies, bottles of multivitamins and pain medicine, colorful t-shirts, jeans, rubber shoes, designer handbags, bars of soap, fruit-scented shampoo and conditioner, perfume, make-up, detergent, multipurpose cleaning spray, Barbie dolls, train sets, stuffed animals, books, magazines, a PlayStation, DVD player, pots, pans, drinking glasses, dining plates, blender, the occasional car parts and circular saw. It’s the whole department store enclosed in an 51cm x 51cm x 51” piece of cardboard otherwise known as the Balikbayan Box.
Balikbayan boxes are essentially goodie bags from relatives abroad sent to the door of a waiting loved one. Busy OFWs can conveniently order balikbayan boxes pre-packed with non-perishable food. The box location can be tracked on the forwarder’s website. Extremely popular during the Christmas season, even if the sender can’t be home for the holidays, the box acts as an ambassador bearing joy.
It also functions as a back-up suitcase. When extra pairs of shoes or bulky toys won’t fit in your only bag, have no fear the Balikbayan box is here. Pick one up at the Filipino store, stuff it silly, check it in as luggage, witness it mingle with its cousins on the baggage carousel and recycle it upon emptying its contents. If your shopping spree exceeds the airline’s baggage requirements, the box (or boxes for that matter) can be shipped directly to your address back home with no weight limitations whatsoever.
Whether you use it or not, the Balikbayan box is a reflection of how Filipinos seize the moment, our fascination for things “imported” and our ability to never let go of a bargain. Albeit materialistic in nature, it’s living proof of our thoughtfulness, a tangible expression of care and concern from across the miles.
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