Republic of the Philippines

SORSOGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Sorsogon City Campus

Sorsogon City

S.Y. 2021- 2022

Preparing of Ukay

Clothing into a

New Style Bags

In partial fulfillment of the Requirements in Practical Research I

Members

Din, Racuel

Discaya, Eden

Oya,Ana
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

1. What is the profile of the customers buyer of ukay - ukay new made of bags?

a. Name

b. Age

c. Status

d. Income

2. What is the positive impact to the society of using recycle ukay – ukay to mede a new

style of bags?

a. To help the community

b. To reduced fabrics that can still be used

c. To save money

3. What are the disadvantages of ukay- ukay clothes?

a. It requires a lot of time

b. Not all goods in sellable

c. Many competitors
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In recent years, the rapid production of low-cost clothing has sparked public outrage.

To meet society’s growing demand for trendy pieces, the fashion industry acceleration its pace of

production and fabrication. Unfortunately, sustainability has been gradually neglected (Gam,

2011). Some fashion designers and manufacturers have begun to strive for a balance of high

fashion and sustainability. They want to recycle the” out time” items while producing less waste

and using fewer resources (Gam,2011). It is undeniable that the fashion industry is eager to

explore a way to realize the goal. They require a fundamental (Francois, 2019). It sheds light on

the minds of those who are anticipating the new “make-recycle make “circular mode. This

framework serves as an excellent model for the fashion industry. It abandons the traditional”

sacrificing” resources and environment to make money mindset. Instead, waste can be re- used,

the natural environment can be regenerated. It is a “win-win” situation (Francois, 2019). A

business models’ innovation cannot contradict the designer design concepts. If a designer

chooses a renewable and ecofriendly material, the recycling cycle will be formed from the start

(Francois, 2019).

Ukay-ukay nowadays is a very affordable source of fashionable yet durable

clothing material for those with relatively low incomes. Some people would resort to buying

ukay-ukay items because the latter are relatively homogenous with the brand-new garments and

accessories that may be bought in relatively high-class stores and shopping malls. Philippine-

made textiles and garments are said to be 30 percent more expensive than their counterparts in
the market, due partly to the inefficient local production and technology processes as well as

their relatively low productivity (Go 2002). The textile and garments industry still needs

adequate provisions for the training of as well as incentives for workers, technological

efficiency, development in market production, and creation of regulating bodies. It will be

tougher for these local firms to compete against the ukay-ukay sellers. To protect the local

garments, textiles and clothing industries, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo banned the entry

and sale of ukay-ukay items in the market. This created discontent among their patrons, who

look at ukay-ukay goods as the most affordable in the market (Philippine Star 2002). This also

entailed some implementation cost on the side of the government. While authorities have every

legal right to confiscate and even burn such items, ukay-ukay stall owners managed to remain

unscathed by relocating outside Metro Manila—to locations not usually monitored by the

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Social Welfare and

Development (DSWD).

In 1966, the Philippines enacted RA 4653, an Act that declares it illegal to

commercially import used textiles into the country. The rationale behind the Act is to safeguard

the health of the Filipino people from potential health hazards used clothing may carry, and to

maintain the dignity of the nation by refusing to receive the discarded items of other nations.

Despite this law, imported second-hand clothing (SHC) locally known as ukayukay is widely and

openly patronized all over the country. Known for its garment piles and cramped clothing racks,

ukayukay is a source of affordable clothing for many, particularly those from lower income

groups. Nowadays, ukay-ukay has transcended its purely practical, economical appeal: fashion

designers and consumers from higher income groups have begun to celebrate ukay-ukay for its

uniqueness, sustainability, and even thrill. The discrepancy between the supposed ban and the
popularity and prevalence of ukay-ukay raises several questions that this study aims to shed light

on. Specifically, we focused on the impact of ukay-ukay on the economic, cultural, social, and

environmental spheres of Philippine society, with a particular focus on how it affects the local

fashion industry. In doing so, this study examined the implementation of RA 4653, inspecting

where it fails and where it succeeds, in order to formulate recommendations for a policy on

ukay-ukay that is relevant, effective, and progressive. What became evident in our research is

that ukay-ukay is a widely prevalent industry and cultural phenomenon because of numerous

vested interests: it answers consumers’ demand for affordable yet trendy clothing; it opens

creative possibilities for fashion designers; it provides Local Government Units (LGUs) revenue,

and it offers entrepreneurs an easy, low-cost, and lucrative business opportunity. Regarding the

potential health hazards of ukay-ukay, our research finds that most ukay-ukay items do not

actually carry significant microbes. Consumers, moreover, are willing to take that small, albeit

still present, risk because the perceived benefits of ukay-ukay (i.e., affordability, style, novelty,

convenience) outweigh the slim possibility of a health hazard. Given this, RA 4653’s rationale of

protecting the health and dignity of the Filipino people becomes irrelevant when ukay-ukay

evidently meets the people’s demands. There is a clear need to revise the policy according to the

needs of the times. On the contrary, ukay-ukay also has negative effects: it is still potentially

hazardous to public health; it highlights price as the primary source of value of a garment; it can

be a source of shame for some people; it is wasteful because of its mass volume, and; it promotes

rapid disposal of clothing. While ukay-ukay does have very clear benefits, its negative effects

should not be overlooked. In the first place, the ukay-ukay industry is made possible by flawed

implementation. First, the law prohibits the importation of SHC, so the responsibility to curtail

ukayukay falls primarily on the Bureau of Customs (BOC). But because the current 4 THE
IMPACT OF THE IMPORTATION OF SECOND-HAND CLOTHING IN THE PHILIPPINES

screening or monitoring system is done manually, the process is vulnerable to corruption.

Accounts of bribing schemes within the BOC are common, demonstrating how flawed the

system currently is. Corruption aside, suppliers themselves also utilize different means of

smuggling SHCs into the country, such as through misdeclaration/underdeclaration, as donations

from NGOs, or as pasalubong (souvenirs). Because only the importation itself is prohibited, once

the shipments are cleared for entry, the sale of SHC is technically legal by all means. It has been

raised that the government’s raiding of ukay-ukay stores is unjust because the retailers

legitimately purchased their inventory and acquired the necessary business permits from their

LGUs; punishing the retailers does not bring accountability to the importers who are the ones

actually committing the crime. As for ukay-ukay’s impact on the local fashion industry, our

research finds that ukay-ukay is either only a minor threat to the local industry, or,

counterintuitively, a complementary one. First, these two industries have different markets, so

ukay-ukay does not compete with the local industry for consumers. The decline of the local

fashion industry is also often attributed to the rise of ukay-ukay in the country, but our research

shows that the two do not have a causative relationship; they just happened to occur at around

the same time. While the SHC trade certainly played a role in the collapse of the local industry,

international trade agreements and the inability to keep up with the rapid globalization of the 90s

were the main factors for the local garment industry’s decline—not ukay-ukay. In other words,

the claims that ukay-ukay cuts into the market of the local industry, and in doing so deprives

Filipinos of jobs and contributes to the industry’s decline, are not founded on any conclusive

evidence. One stakeholder even remark that, nowadays, ukay-ukay can be a complementary tool

to the fashion industry because it brings awareness of different clothing brands and styles to
everyday consumers. From this awareness, he claims, consumers will still be lured by the

convenience offered by legitimate retail brands. While ukay-ukay is not the main reason for the

local industry’s decline, it does, however, discourage investment in, and thus development of, the

local garments industry because it is easier, cheaper, and more lucrative to invest in ukay-ukay

rather than in the local production and manufacturing of clothing. Ukay-ukay’s impact on the

local industry is thus neither simply good nor bad; the relationship between the two industries is

more complex than it appears.

1.1

“Ukay-ukay” refers to the local industry that caters to the sale of imported secondhand garments

(Abueg, 2005, p. 54). Derived from the Filipino word “hukay,” meaning to dig up (Locsin, 2007,

p. 371), ukay-ukay is known to have originated from Baguio City, where it was also called a

“wagwagan,” meaning the act of “dusting off a piece of clothing by taking hold of one end and

snapping it in the air. The industry earned this name because of how the items on sale are either

simply displayed in large piles or very tightly cramped clothing racks, requiring consumers to

really dig through the clothes to find an item they like. Moreover, the term “ukay-ukay” can refer

to the article on sale, the shop or venue in which it is bought, or even the event of buying itself

(Abueg, 2005, p. 371). The used clothing trade in the Philippines has been active for

approximately 50 years, growing right after World War II due to the UN’s Relief and

Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) provision of billions of dollars in relief to Asia between

1943 and 1949 (Isla, 2014). This industry then flourished in the 80s (Isla, 2014), when

nongovernment organizations (NGOs) “started selling tax-free clothing as a means to fundraise”

(Ladrido, 2018, n.p.). Diaspora and migration also played a factor in the flourishing of the ukay-

ukay industry, since it has been studied that “enterprising Hong Kong-based Filipino domestic
helpers are founders of the industry” (as cited in Isla, 2014, p. 230). These Overseas Filipino

Workers (OFWs)—specifically women, it should be emphasized—would acquire old clothes,

whether their personal items or Salvation Army thrift shop finds, and resell them in Baguio

(Locsin, 2007). As Lynne Milgram illustrates, Filipina entrepreneurs in Hong Kong have acted

resourcefully in the SHC industry to construct their own trade networks. Because of social and

economic limitations, these women have had “to carve out their particularized domain of

middleness [between Hong Kong and the Philippines] by continuing to refashion the cultural,

economic, and (il)licit parameters of their work,” and in doing so, have created livelihood spaces

for themselves with based on their own values (Milgram, 2008, p. 39). Since then, Hong Kong’s

role in the ukay-ukay trade in the country has diminished greatly: in the year 2000, 35% of the

imported SHC in the Philippines came from the United States, and 2.5% were from Hong Kong.

17 years later, as the sixth top importer of used clothing in Asia, the Philippines imported most

of its SHC from South Korea (Fig. 1) with only .15% coming from Hong Kong.

1.2

Despite the prohibition, used clothing is said to enter the country primarily through three ways:

(1) as relief goods donated through local or international organizations; (2) as pasalubong

(souvenirs), or; (3) as smuggled goods (Abueg, 2005, p. 73). In an interview, researcher Ma.

Rina Locsin further reports that nowadays most SHC come from Subic, Clark, and Cavite—three

of the country’s Special Economic Zones (SEZ). Because raw material importations within SEZs

are tax-free—provided that the raw materials within the SEZ are re-exported as finished products

—it becomes a location ripe for smuggling. Locsin reports that either (1) SHC importers

negotiate with Customs officials for the release of their imports, or (2) locators within the SEZs
misdeclare imported SHCS are scrap material. Chairman of the Federation of Philippine

Industries, Dr. Jesus Arranza adds misdeclaration at these SEZs as another method of smuggling.

For instance, in Arranza’s investigation, he and his team discovered that in one locator’s

shipment, the company “underdeclared its importation of 22 metric tons of used clothing to only

10 metric tons,” allowing the undeclared 12 metric tons to be smuggled into the country without

a trace (Arranza, 2017). Corruption in the Bureau of Customs (BOC) seems to be quite prevalent.

In 2014, a

1.3

Customs official was arrested for allegedly seeking and accepting a 1.5-million-peso (roughly

£21,632) bribe to facilitate the clearance of prohibited shipment of SHC (Rappler.com, 2014).

Furthermore, according to a 2015 Senate report, BOC insiders describe a particular scheme

called “5-20” or “cinco huli, lusot viente” which means that for every 25 shipments of SHC, only

five are seized, while the rest are released upon payment of “tara” or grease money (Defensor

Santiago, 2015). Another scheme called “swing” refers to how some BOC or port officials, in

exchange for grease money, simply face the other way as ukay-ukay or other smuggled goods are

carried into trucks waiting at the ports (Esplanada, 2014). As the Philippine Chamber of

Commerce and Industry Chairperson Julita Lopez observes, “the exercise of discretion on the

part of BOC employees on the matter of assessing/ examining of commodities is the root of

corruption” (Philippine Senate, 2004). In the present, the ukay-ukay industry has grown and

developed, from “generic street piles in the market area” to “more upscale ‘selections’” in

business districts, and even to online stores on the internet such as eBay (Isla, 2014, p. 230).

Interestingly, Isla points out that ukay-ukay sites in the Philippine’s are geographically located

according to class: flea or public markets carrying poorer quality items for lower classes and
upscale boutiques in business districts carrying branded and vintage items for higher classes” (p.

232). An ukay-ukay seller we spoke with attests to this geographic differentiation of ukay-ukay.

He adds that different parts of the metro have a known specialization, so to speak. Some areas

might be known for a certain style based on the source of the clothing or based on the type of

items they carry. For instance, his store only sells shorts and blouses, but they also offer pants

sometime around December, presumably because the colder weather would necessitate

consumers to buy warmer clothing. In contrast, he noted that in Upper Barangka in Mandaluyong

City, another ukay-ukay group sells Korean-style clothing, a “specialization” that is instead

based on current fashion trends rather than practicality. As earlier mentioned, the online

migration of retail has affected the ukay-ukay industry as well. An ukay-ukay vendor from

Bambang, Manila remarks that business is being done more and more through the internet

because it is much faster and, sometimes, more profitable given that it provides a wider reach to

sellers and requires lower capital. For instance, a quick search would reveal the website Ukay

Ukay Online (http://ukayukayonline.com), a Cebu-based online ukay-ukay supplier that provides

an easy and convenient way for anyone in the country to start their own ukay-ukay stores.

Another permutation of online ukay-ukay manifests in Instagrambased online stores that sell

“curated” ukay-ukay finds, often charged a much higher price. These stores acquire their

inventory in different ways: some source their items by going through different stores in the

metro, while some purchase cheap, trendy clothes in bulk abroad (i.e., Thailand and Vietnam).

Aside from its platform, the market of ukay-ukay has likewise slightly changed. Isla notes that

the majority of the ukayukay’s market still “belong to lower income groups,” as affordability

remains the primary motivation for consumption (Isla, 2014, p. 231), but higher income groups

have also begun to patronize ukayukay as well. As for those who import and sells ukay-ukay, the
now defunct AntiSmuggling Intelligence and Information Center (ASIIC) Chief Col. Carlos

Holganza “revealed that the most nefarious smugglers are not ordinary criminals but are instead

scheming lawyers and shrewd businessmen” (Philippine Senate, 2004). It is clear that the ukay-

ukay landscape has transformed greatly over the years in terms of source, market, and platform,

prompting us to reexamine more closely how it, too, has changed the Philippines. 2.1 Global

Trade in Secondhand Clothing Ukay-ukay is part of the global trade in second-hand clothing

(SHC), an industry worth billions of dollars each year. In 2017 alone, the estimated value of the

global trade in SHC amounted to 3.79 billion dollars (OEC, 2017). Almost all countries deal in

the SHC trade, with developing countries, such as the Philippines, Pakistan, and Kenya, being its

major consumers, while some countries, like the United States and the United Kingdom, are the

primary exporters.
 RELATED STUDIES AND LITERATURE

The sanctioning of the ukay-ukay Customers and businesses that sold new clothes were outraged,

and business problems emerged. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo outlawed the sale and entry

of ukay-ukay market goods in the Philippines. This led to customer dissatisfaction as they

observed ukay-ukay items as being the least expensive on the market. Macairan drafted a plan to

legalize the importation of marijuana to support legalization. ukay-ukay. Considering this,

Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez collaborated on a proposal to allow the importation

and sale of worn clothing with Representatives from Oriental Mindoro Rey Umali, Leyte Andres

Salvacion, and Batangas Tomas Apacible. ukay-ukay. They claimed that a complete

investigation is required, including a look at the potential income the Philippines could produce

and how that might affect the apparel industry. If used clothing imports is ultimately permitted,

the nation might bring in Php 700 million in taxes and fees each year. The clothing industry did

not object in any way to the spread of ukay-ukay in the nation.

According to estimates, 1000 container vans full of secondhand clothing enter the nation

annually congress should immediately review the law fir this reason. Alvarez said this. Ukay-
ukay numerous filipino now have job thanks for business help in creating jobs for many filipinos.

The ukay-ukay the craze was also seen in Tagaytay City. According to a BlogSpot article, ukay-

ukay is one of the city's most popular activities. The usual Olivarez Plaza ukay-ukay Tagaytay's

hub houses several large corporations. Ukay-ukay shops with a wide variety of items to choose

from, such as everyday clothing, gowns, baby dresses, sportswear, bags, and shoes. The blogger

revealed that he found it surprising that there are people who buy underwear from him. Ukay-

ukay there are also separate sections for class A or designer items. If they have a separate section

for these designer clothes, they also have a section for super bargain items, which is usually

located at the back of the store and where one can find clothes worth Php 20 and up.

Wang et al. (2019) proposed a sustainable fashion index model that aims to measure the

sustainability of fashion companies. The model is interesting because of its underlying theory,

which provides necessary dimensions and variables that make the fashion industry and its

activities sustainable. This paper aims to employ these dimensions and variables as theoretical

concepts to evaluate the sustainability of Philippine ukay-ukay culture. Ukay-ukay is a term used

both for the act of shopping by digging up piles of used or pre-loved clothes until one makes a

good find. It also refers to retailers of secondhand clothes and accessories in the Philippines. The

sustainable fashion theory posits that for fashion to be sustainable, it must strive to achieve and

balance specific economic, environmental, cultural, and social objectives. As part of the three

fashion business models, what then are the relationship of the ukay-ukay to these other models,

the fast fashion and luxury fashion models, and how does it fare in terms of sustainability.

Through theoretical analysis of ukay-ukay’s quality and value, customers and relationships,
processes, expressions and meanings, and legalities and charities, this paper found that ukay-

ukay can actually be an alternative model for sustainable fashion with certain limitations.

The aforementioned stumbling blocks are stabilized by the incentives one gets from buying

ukay-ukay items. These forces include economical motivations, motivations for ethical

consumerism, hedonic and recreational shopping motivations, and motivations to follow fashion

trends (Han, 2014).

Used clothing as an inexpensive functional product to fulfill the clothing needs of the

impoverished who can’t afford new clothes, has now in recent times shifted to fashionable

commodity that is pursued and purchased by everyone whichever class they may be a part of and

in any place (Milgram, 2012).

In 2002, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo banned the entry and sale of ukay-ukay in

the market. Nonetheless, ukay-ukay store owners found a loophole to keep their business going

by relocating outside of Metro Manila, given that these locations are not usually monitored by

the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The Congress made several proposals to legalize

the importation of second-hand garments for commercial purposes as it can generate more jobs

and income for the Filipinos and the Philippine government. An example of which is the House

Bill 4055 during the 14th Congress which noted the possibility of increasing the revenues of the

government by Php 700 million per year; however, it did not make it (Gavilan, 2017). It was not
taken lightly by the Federation of Philippine Industries 2011 chairman Jesus Arranza who

warned that used clothing may have health risks in spreading diseases and viruses. He also added

that this move “will just embolden the smugglers of ukay-ukay [and] dissuade investments in the

textile and garments industry that is now on the verge of collapse” (Yamsuan, 2019).

This article will dissect the experience and tackle the insights, both as consumers and sellers, of

the group members in Fleur de Lis (FDL), an ukay-ukay store located in Katipunan Avenue,

Quezon City near Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). It will attempt to unravel and discern

the happenings that took place during the activity—from the sensory discoveries, down to the

responses of the people present in the observation site. This paper will also explain how their

being bystanders, as well as their being participants, affected the site and the people in it. The

findings, when sewn together, will also empower the researchers to explore and explain the

strengths and limitations of ethnographic fieldwork based on their observations and

comprehension of their own experiences.

According to Perez (2019), the population of the world consumes approximately 62 million tons

of clothes annually and of this number only 20% is up for reusing and recycling. The other 80%

is either landfilled of incinerated. Because of the rapidly changing fashion trends, “fast fashion”

came about. As a result, in a 2017 survey by YouGov it was revealed that 29% of Filipinos have

thrown away their clothes after a single usage (Gutierrez, 2018). Fast fashion does not only fill

up our dumpsites.
The production of items under fast fashion involves the usage of the following: polyesters, which

release microfibers into the oceans; textile dyeing, which pollutes clean water with hazardous

chemicals; and toxic pesticides on cotton, which produce harmful results on humans and animals

(Perry, 2018). To add to this, production of clothes dilutes a huge amount of the country’s

natural resources even when we are already facing shortages (Perez, 2018).

METHOD AND MATERIALS

The researchers conduct a research experiment in Sorsogon State University. The study included

a total of 457 respondents that had an interest in clothing. The convenience sampling method was

done in choosing the respondents who voluntarily answered an online questionnaire distributed

through social media platforms. The survey was made available on Facebook in a public setting.

Aside from posting as status, the survey was also posted in different Facebook groups to obtain

more respondents.

1. Ukay ukay cloths

2. Tie Wrap Popper

3. Yarn
Step 1: find old clothes that are no longer used or buy from ukay ukay to use to make a 3 in 1

bag.

Step 2: In order to purchase the first layer of the bag, measure 12 inches in length and 10 inches

in width.

Step 3: Layer 2 should be measure 22 inches length and 20 inches width.

Step 4: Layer 3 should be measure 33 inches length and 20 inches width.

Step 5: After measuring layers 1 2 and 3 cut it at the same time the allowance of each side

Step 6: Time to sewing layer 1 layer 2 and layer 3.

Step 7: Connect each layer to make a 3 in 1 bag.

Step 8: Sew the Tie Wrap Popper

Step 9: Done of the product 3 in 1 bag

RESEARCH DESIGN

The researchers will use Experimental design, which is to investigate. A research method used

to investigate the interaction between independent and dependent variables, which can be used to

determine a cause-and-effect relationship. Experimental research is commonly used within the

framework of the scientific method.

 THE SAMPLE

The researchers regard 100 participants as the minimum sample size when the population is

large.

Formula

Calculation of sample using Slovin’s Formula

n = N / (1 + Ne2

Where:

 n = Number of samples,

 N = Total population and

 e = margin of error

THE INSTRUMENTS
The research instrument to be uses the primary data interview, tests, survey, and checklist. The

primary data are data collected to help solve a problem or take advantage of an opportunity on

which a decision making is pending.

DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE

The researchers gathered the data by using interviews, tests, surveys, or checklists.to be the

answer of the respondent. Tabulation and analysis of data gathered was done after collecting all

checklists, survey tests and interviews. The researchers prepared the necessary data

measurements from the entire interview in the structured checklists.

DATA ANALYSIS

As soon as the researcher gathered the data, they will comply, organized and tabulated. They

were subject to treatment to answer the question proposed in the study. The Statistical tools is the

percentage.

The Demographic profile of the respondents will be determined by using the formula of

percentage.

P= Fx100/N Where:

P= Percentage

F= Frequency

N= Total number of respondents

Research Questions Instrument and data gathering Statistical Tool

procedure

1. What is the profile of

the customers buyer Checklist Frequency and percentage

of ukay - ukay new Tests

made of bags? Survey

a. Name Interview

b. Age

c. Status

d. Income

2. What is the positive

impact to the society Survey Frequency and percentage

of using recycle ukay Interview

– ukay to make a new

style of bags?

A. To help the

community

b. To reduced fabrics

that can still be used

c. To save money
1. What are the

disadvantages of Survey Frequency and percentage

ukay- ukay clothes? Interview

a. It requires a lot of checklists

time

b. Not all goods in

sellable

c. There are many

competitors
 REFERENCES

https://www.fashionrevolution.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/POLICY-PAPER-1

https://www.dlsu.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/12Biana-revised.pdf

https://thehappyandgayexperience.wordpress.com/tag/ukay-ukay/