Ukay-ukay or UK or RILIP…that’s what we Ilonggos call the second-hand imported clothes, bags, shoes, bed sheets, and curtains that are sold at Iloilo’s public markets and plazas and street corners. Ukay literally means to make a mess and that’s what Ilonggos do as they dig into towering mounds of clothing for their best find. The term Ukay-ukay can also be shortened to UK thereby lending it a sosi or sosyal (classy) image. The term RILIP is derived from relief (relief goods) . It is said that the first ukay-ukays some years back were originally meant as aid sent from America for calamity victims in the Philippines. Read the rest of this entry »