The US has directed Philippines to omit some vital fabric and garment segments, from the proposed list of Philippine-made garments produced from American yarn and fabrics, for which Philippines is seeking duty free access to the US, under the proposed 'Save Our Industries Act' bill.
Philippines Trade and Industry Undersecretary Cristino L. Panlilio stated that, he actually doubts if they have an option to not consent to the same.
However, he said that, there is a need to fetch a solution to some of the controversial issues that exist between the two countries.
The first issue, he said, is the US wants to exclude 'poplin' cloth from the list, as American firms are already producing sizeable volume of apparels from this cloth.
Poplin, which is also known as tabinet, is a sort of medium to heavy weight durable fabric, which is normally produced from cotton or a blend of cotton and polyester. Until last century poplin mainly was used to prepare cotton, silk or heavy weight woollen clothes for winters.
The second issue, he stated relates to undergarments.
It may be recollected that, the 'Save Act' bill is an initiative by Philippine, which seeks to revive the local garment and textile industries of both the countries - the Philippines and the US.
Philippines is ready to once again put up the bill for approval, during June this year, after making necessary changes to make it more agreeable to the US legislators.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
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