Legalization of ukay-ukay trade pushed

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – The city government here is backing the proposal of the Bureau of Customs to legalize entry of ukay-ukay (used clothes) goods in the country provided measures must be done to ensure the clothes are safe for the public.

Domogan said it is high time for the national and local governments to regulate entry of ukay-ukay goods to help generate additional revenue for the country’s coffers as well as allow people in the countryside to be able to buy cheap but quality clothes which are of international names.

Baguio City is known as center of ukay-ukay or wag-wag goods which are being shipped by various domestic helpers and businessmen from Hong Kong and other parts of the Southeast Asian region.

In legalizing the lucrative trade, Domogan said the BOC must make sure that stringent measures must be adopted to make sure that the clothes being shipped into the country are safe from diseases so that our countrymen will be spared from whatever diseases that might have contaminated the clothes.

After flourishing in this mountain resort city, the ukay-ukay business was introduced by Cordillerans in different urban centers in the country.

Despite the ban on the entry of ready to wear clothes from other parts of the global village due to alleged health risks, numerous container vans containing boxes of such goods are usually being sneaked out of ports in the country to sustain the abundant supply of clothes where people could select from.

Domogan said the trade has provided additional sources of livelihood for most Cordillerans as well as opened the opportunity for additional employment to numerous jobless individuals considering that it is constantly being patronized by local residents and visitors.

The local chief executive cited the legalization of the trade will also help in curbing corruption among officials and employees of the bureau of Customs so that the income to be generated will enter the country’s coffers and eventually be used to implement more projects as well as improve the delivery of basic services to the people, especially in the countryside.

He narrated that his foreign friends have appreciated the lucrative ukay-ukay trade has allowed people to be able to buy and wear clothes with reputable markings which is a good sign of a healthy business environment in the city.

For the past two decades, trade has been a decent source of income for enterprising individuals coming from different parts of Northern Luzon because the boxes of clothes are sold at a cheap rate with quality clothes loaded in it.

The city government had issued business permits to individuals involved in the trade over the past several years since it rapidly grew and flourished in the city’s central business district area.