OROQUIETA CITY, PHILIPPINES

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Oroquieta City, the capital of Misamis Occidental in Northern Mindanao, is a coastal city with a population of approximately 72,300 (2020 census), spread across 47 barangays—the smallest administrative units in the Philippines.

Like many small cities with limited income and access to new retail options, Oroquieta is home to numerous ukay-ukay stores—secondhand shops that offer residents affordable access to a wide range of clothing and goods.

However, many of the imported secondhand clothes that end up in these stores are soiled, low-quality, or unsuitable for the local climate. The UKAI Initiative documented these conditions to raise important questions about the capacity of small cities like Oroquieta to manage the large volumes of discarded clothing flowing into their communities.