US-based Pinoys urged to support Save Act

MANILA, Philippines –  The move for SAVE Act to be passed in the US Congress is gaining momentum in key cities all over the US, the Garments and Textile Industries Development Office (GTIDO) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

In a statement, GTIDO said Filipino-Americans living in the US are urged to support the pending legislation that will create jobs for the Philippine garment and US textile industries by writing to their legislators.

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia spoke to community leaders in San Francisco and Las Vegas two weeks ago. The newly appointed ambassador pointed out the need to exercise suffrage as a “potent force” to make the Fil-Am community vote viable in Congress. “By showing our undivided support for key advocacies, we are not only supporting our kababayans but are also making it known that we the Filipino community, have a voice and a vote,” he said in Las Vegas.

The SAVE Our Industries Act or SAVE Act is an important piece of legislation that would expand trade by allowing items of apparel manufactured in the Philippines using US made textiles to enter the country duty free. It would also allow US-made fabrics to be exported from the US to an Asian market like the Philippines, which will likewise create jobs for the US in the textile sector.

The campaign for the said legislation was launched in San Francisco hosted by the SF-Philippine Consulate-General and the SF-Bay Area Filipino-American Community. Cuisia said the Philippine government understands how important this legislation is to our workers and our relationship with the US. “Soon after becoming law, the SAVE Act would provide tens of millions of dollars in new exports for US businesses and save hundreds of thousands of jobs in the Philippines,” Cuisia added.

The campaign rolled out in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County and Arizona, the Midwest and in Washington, D.C.–Ma. Elisa P. Osorio (The Philippine Star)