Sen. Raffy T. Tulfo (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — A measure seeking to legalize ukay-ukay or imported second-hand garments and goods has been lodged in the Senate.
Senate Bill No. 1778, filed by Senator Raffy Tulfo in late January, aims to repeal Republic Act No. 4635, which restricts commercial ukay-ukay importation.
“The ‘ukay-ukay’ industry has evolved as part of the Filipino Culture. It goes without saying that the revenue-generating industry has generated jobs for our fellow Filipinos. However, it must be regulated by the proper government agencies to ensure its compliance with applicable laws,” the measure’s explanatory note read.
“Pursuant to the proposed bill, the P18 billion industry will no longer be an underground enterprise since it will be duly registered and its revenues audited for accountability by the proper government agencies,” it continued.
Even though ukay-ukay importation is illegal, there is a high volume of ukay-ukay business.
Tulfo already floated the idea of legalizing ukay-ukay last year in a hearing with the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
He stressed that the BOC has been ineffective in controlling the influx of ukay-ukay imports.