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SGMA elects Lin anew as president
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Posted on Dec 17 2004
The Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association yesterday celebrated a modest Christmas party, opting to donate $2,000 to civic group Karidat. The group also held an election of officers for 2005.
SGMA members re-elected United International Corp. president James Lin as the group’s president and chair.
The rest of the elected officers include Concorde’s Eloy Inos and Sako Corp.’s H.K. Min, vice chair; Michigan’s Tony Taisacan, secretary; Neo Fashion’s D. E. Chong, treasurer; and Rifu Apparel’s K. Choi and U.S. CNMI’s Bill Fong as directors.
Local garment manufacturers are bracing for anticipated tougher years ahead, once the lifting of quota restrictions on apparel products take effect in 2005 pursuant to World Trade Organization agreement.
To enhance the local industry’s competitiveness in the world market, the SGMA wants the U.S. Tariff Code amended to lower the 50 percent value-added requirement on garments made here to qualify for duty-free entry to the United States.
The SGMA wants to bring down the 50 percent to 30 percent, which would allow local manufacturers to increase the maximum allowable foreign content material in garment exports from the CNMI to the United States, the world’s largest apparel market, to 70 percent.
Despite facing uncertainties, however, SGMA members celebrated the spirit of Christmas in a party at the AJ’s Restaurant in Susupe yesterday noon.
Wearing a Santa cap, SGMA executive director Richard Pierce played Santa Claus by giving out gift packages that were raffled off to attendees. Pierce and Lin also handed out a $2,000 check donation to Karidat executive director Angie Guerrero.
Pierce said SGMA’s donation to Karidat is an annual Christmas tradition.
