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Manila Forwarders Corporation (MFC) was incorporated on May 1993 by the head of the Castro family, Mariano F. Castro, to address the growing demand for “balikbayan” boxes and money remittance services in the Metropolitan Washington DC area. The term “balikbayan” is a Filipino word coined to refer to a Philippine national or one of Filipino descent returning to its homeland, the Philippines; and thus the “balikbayan” box is a cargo bound for the Philippines. MFC consolidates and ships these “balikbayan” boxes containing household goods, such as used clothes, groceries and other personal effects. True to its Filipino cooperative and community spirit, MFC’s goal is to share acquired products from the United States to fellow Filipinos to make living in the Philippines more comfortable, as well as to make working in the U.S. more rewarding and satisfying for overseas Filipinos knowing that they can help their families.
In 2004, Mariano F. Castro retired and assigned full ownership and control of the company to his daughter, Maria C. J. Castro. Maria then extended the existing MFC services globally. Now, MFC arranges the shipment of household goods from the U.S., not only to the Philippines, but to anywhere in the world. And while maintaining its current market consisting of the Filipino community, MFC has expanded its clientele base to any individual in need of consolidated shipping services in the U.S.
In November 2005, Maria sought the help of the federal government in this endeavor, and MFC was certified as a small disadvantaged, woman-owned participant in the U.S. Small Business Administration program. Today, she plans to promote the Filipino cooperative and community spirit to the international communities. |
