The Pilipino Contract Workers Association, the United Workers Movement and Dekada Movement officials will set up a “support center” to facilitate the campaign.
Pilcowa president Jun Concillado said their group will collect signatures from guest workers and local residents at the Fiestang Pinoy By Juvy Restaurant from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“We are urging all our brother and sister contract workers and as well as local residents to support this petiton,” he said.
As of yesterday, 477 had signed the online petition.
Human rights advocate Wendy Doromal, who is based in Florida, said the petition has been online since Sunday.
“It was put online so that the federal officials who receive it will see that people from all over the United States support status for the nonresidents in the CNMI,” said the former Rota teacher.
Doromal said they already have signatures from Florida, California, Missouri, New York, Georgia, Oregon, Washington, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Texas, Connecticut, and other states.
Former Interior Deputy Secretary of Insular Affairs David Cohen was among those who have signed the petition, she added.
She said she and her daughter Nani will deliver the petition and signatures along with letters from guest workers and others to Washington, D.C. in Jan. 2010.
In a press statement, Pilcowa board chairman Ronnie Doca, UWM president Rabby Syed and Dekada Movement president Boni Sagana said they want President Obama to see the petition, copies of which will also be handed to the U.S. Congress, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Homeland Secuirty Secretary Janet Nepolitano.
Doca said their group is willing to bring a copy of the petition to any household.
For more information, call Concillado at 287-0191 or Syed at 285-3306.
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