President Noynoy Aquino Appeals to Filipino Americans to Lobby for the Passage of the SAVE Act that Can Bring “2,000 jobs into the U.S. and 200,000 in the Philippines”

By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(© Journal Group Link International)

C HICAGO (jGLi) – Maria Teresita Jocson-Agoncillo agonized on how she terminated pregnant workers in the Philippines several years ago.

Now as executive director of Confederation of Garment Exporters of the Philippines, she is happy that she left her unpleasant job as a down-sizer.

At a town hall meeting with Filipino-American community leaders jointly presided over by Philippine Consul General Leo M. Herrera-Lim and Chicago’ Philippine Trade and Industry Representative Glenn Penaranda at the Philippine Consulate in Chicago last Nov. 15, Ms. Jocson-Agoncillo's gut-wrenching feeling as a job terminator will be relived by at least four big garment companies in the Philippines, which will have the unpleasant task of giving some 15,000 employees their pink slips if the SAVE Act is not passed by the U.S. Congress before the end of this year.

Lucita P. Reyes is the executive director of Project Assessment Group under the Philippines' Department of Trade and Industry’s Board of Investments. She is pinning her hope on the help of the Filipino Americans, who were responsible for the passage of the Filipino Equity Bill before the U.S. Congress.

A lthough, there are only four U.S. Senators who are behind the "Save Our Industries Act of 2010" or the "SAVE Act," Ronald J. Sorini, a named  Principal of the Sorini Samet & Associates LLC, a consulting and government affairs practice, told Filipino community leaders that the number of Senate supporters may appear a long shot for its passage into law that will "reinvigorate trade between the Philippine apparel and the United States." But what the bill supporters really need "are quality and not quantity" in securing support of area senators and congressmen.

"If we can get the support of U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (Dem.-IL), the No. 2 most powerful senator, he can tack the "SAVE Act" into an omnibus bill so other senators will line up behind the bill," Mr. Sorini explained. He is echoing the strategy adopted by U.S. Senators Daniel K. Inouye and Daniel K. Akaka, both Democrats of Hawaii, who lumped the Filipino-Veterans Equity bill into the omnibus American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that later hurdled the U.S. Congress and signed by President Barack Obama.

Mr. Sorini asked Illinois Filipinos to write, call or visit their corresponding area congressmen and senators to appeal to them to support the SAVE Act that was introduced  as S. 3170 by Republican Sen. Christopher S. Bond (MO) and was later co-sponsored by fellow Republican John Ensign (NV) and Senators Inouye and Akaka.

The House version, H.R. 3030, was introduced by Washington State Dem. Rep. Jim McDermott (7th) and was co-sponsored by 13 other congressmen, including Filipino-American Rep. Steve Austria (R-OH-7), and Representatives Brian P. Bilbray (R-CA-50), Bob Filner (D-CA-51), Madeleine Z. Bordallo (GU), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI-2), Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY-14) and David Dreier (R-CA-26).

If the SAVE Act does not pass during the lameduck Congress, Ms. Reyes said at least four big garment factories in the Philippines with 15,000 employes will close shop this year.

Ms. Reyes said the bill will be refiled in February of the New Year if it fails to pass this year. But if this languishes in Congress, it will eventually lead to the loss of 150,000 jobs.

From a high of direct employment of 600,000 in 2000, employment numbers have declined to a low of 150,000 in 2009 in the garment industry. Ms. Reyes explained if you multiply the spouse and children by an average of four, there were actually 2.4-million Filipinos that benefited from the garment industry in 2000.

In 2000, the garment was the second most labor-intensive industry in the Philippines after electronics because it can employ even elementary graduates. Prior to 2000, the Philippines had a quota to export garments to U.S. and Europe, earning for the Philippines US$2.8-billion.

In 2005, the garment and textile industry in the Philippines started to decline under the aegis of the World Trade Organization due to China's low cost and stable textile industry. In 2009, earnings for the Philippines for the textile industry went down to US$1.6-billion.

In a video clip shown to the community, President Noynoy Aquino appealed to the Filipino Americans to lobby for the passage of the SAVE Act that will bring “2,000 jobs into the United States and 200,000 in the Philippines” because of the Philippines' big labor force.

Ms. Reyes also disclosed that she will also enlist the help of Filipino boxing world champion Manny Pacquiao, who earlier helped in the campaign re-election of Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), the incumbent Senate Majority Floor Leader.

Editor’s Notes: Please read Mr. Lariosa’s report on the Pacquiao-Reed campaign controversy and this editor’s take on it: Manny Pacquiao Shares His Secrets in Politics, Backs Winner  and Manny Pacquiao Should Fight with his Fists and Not with his Mouth

She said on her way to Los Angeles, California, she happened to be seated beside the president of the Manny Pacquiao Foundation. Ms. Reyes asked her seatmate to hand over to Mr. Pacquiao a letter, appealing for help promote the SAVE Act among his friends in the U.S. Congress.

Ms. Reyes said she would ask the Sarangani Congressman to have video footages of Mr. Pacquiao, endorsing the SAVE Act that could be shown on TV's and on the Internet, giving away boxing gloves with replica of SAVE Act and other programs. She added the SAVE Act will also impact his Sarangani province.

Under the SAVE Act, there will be grant of duty-free treatment to certain apparel products wholly assembled in the Philippines provided that these are made from U.S. fabrics.

There will also be grants of duty-free treatment to a limited range of Philippine exports of "cut-and-sew" apparel products that are not produced in the U.S. and deemed nonsensitive.

Textile exports of the U.S. to the Philippines were estimated at $13.5-million in 2009. This will increase to $250-million by Year Two and $500-million by Year Five of implementation, under the SAVE Act. Philippine apparel exports to the US is estimated at $1.32-billion in Year Two increasing to $3-billion in Year Five. # # #

Editor’s Note: To contact the author, please e-mail him at:  (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)