Cash-strapped govt mulls ‘ukay-ukay’ legalization

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is planning to legalize the importation of used clothes — or more commonly known as “ukay-ukay" — as part of the government’s efforts to earn more revenues for the national coffers. “It will provide government the revenue it badly needs. So why not legalize it? Besides, these used clothing are donated to the Department of Social Welfare and Development supposedly for relief operations," said BOC Commissioner Angelito Alvarez on Thursday. Alvarez said he would ask lawmakers to revisit Republic Act 4653, the law that bans the importation of second-hand clothing for sanitary reasons. Passed in 1966, it imposes a fine of P200 to P20,000 or imprisonment to violators. “Ukay-ukay" is derived from the Visayan term “halukay," which means the act of digging in, as customers visiting “ukay-ukay" stores usually dig into piles of used clothes in search for branded ones. Despite RA 4653, stores selling “ukay-ukay" clothes have flourished through the years and were even given licenses by local governments. Their clientele includes people from all walks of life. Alvarez said legalizing the entry of second hand clothes would enhance the bureau’s revenue since the profit from used clothing is estimated to amount to hundreds of millions of pesos annually. In August, the BOC-Enforcement and Security Service (BOC-ESS) seized four container vans of “ukay-ukay" clothes from India and Hong Kong. Shipments of apprehended second-hand clothing are usually turned over to the DSWD. - KBK, GMANews.TV