“Ukay-ukay” sold to power plant

CEBU, Philippines - The controversial “ukay-ukay” trade which has drawn public attention in Cordova town is now off-limits to the public after the owner decided to sell the mound of used clothing to a power plant in the City of Naga to serve as ‘fuel’.

Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy said that Virgilio Pongase did not anymore allow the public in his compound in Barangay Pilipog and has started the delivery to the power plant in Naga.   “Nagsugod na sila og panghakot sa ukay-ukay para himo-ong sugnod sa power plant sa Naga. Wala na gipasulod ang mga tawo sa compound,” said Sitoy.

Sitoy said that the town’s health office recommended for the disposal of the used clothing because of the hazards from the chemicals used to treat it. “So far, wala pa hinoon ko nakadungog og reklamo nga nangatol ang mga nakapalit sa ukay-ukay,” Sitoy said.

The used clothing was part of the deal when Pongase’s Virlo Construction and Development Corporation bought two warehouses at the Mactan Economic Zone. MEZ chief Wilfredo Cui earlier informed the Bureau of Customs that the former occupant of the warehouses, Pearl City Manufacturing Corporation, left in the place almost 30 tons of used clothing.

Pearl City Manufacturing Corporation was closed in 2004 upon the order of Philippine Export Processing Zone director Lilia de Lima because of the company’s failure to account the volume of its importation.

PEZA discovered that PCMC had an unaccounted importation of 8,259,645 kilograms of used clothing from January 2003 to March 2004. The board has cancelled the company’s Certificate of Registration in the same year.

Cui said that used clothing in Cordova were not usable and considered as garbage and not meant to be sold. He added that warehouses should be replaced with a new one to pave the way for a new investor.

Almadin said they were surprised to learn these were already sold in Cordova.

“But we were surprised nganong gibaligya man na. I am recommending that MEZ should penalize the contractor for doing something that is not authorized,” Almadin said.

Almadin clarified that while these were imported it is already beyond the jurisdiction of Customs because the importer was a locator of MEZ. “Independent man na ang PEZA. Actually walay labot ang Customs ani. That’s why I can only recommend what actions to take against the contractor,” Almadin said. (FREEMAN)