Envoy requests Filipino groups to support SAVE Act

21 Sep '10

2 min read

In a bid to encourage various Filipino organizations to support the Save Our Industries (SAVE) Act, pending in the United States Congress, the Philippine ambassador to the United States, Mr. Willy C. Gaa met the leaders of these organizations. Other embassy officials also attended the meeting.

The enactment of this Act will take the level of trade of textile and apparel items to a higher level between the United States and Philippines, and consequently will improve commercial well-being of textile industry of US and apparel industry of Philippine, the ambassador stated in the meeting.

Philippine-made apparel products, produced by using US fabrics will get duty-free access to the US market under the SAVE Act that was introduced by Representative Mr. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and co-sponsored by Representative Mr. Brian Bilbray (R-CA), in June 2009.

Around 80 percent of Philippine's garment exports are shipped to US. These exports have reduced to US $1 billion in the year 2009 from $2.1 billion in 2006. The duties enforced on imported garments in the US vary from 17 to 33 percent.

However, it is also expected that the US textile exports to Philippine will increase from $13.5 million in 2009 to $500 million, within the next five years.

The falling trend in textile and apparel sector is resulting into major job losses in the garment sector of Philippines. At one time there were 600,000 workers employed in the garment sector which has now fallen to just 180,000, stated Mr. Gaa, adding that the SAVE Act will restore lost jobs and even create new jobs in the Philippine garments sector.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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