Canceled-Order Dispute Continues as Cheng Zhaoxin Calls 345 Withdrawn Boxes a Rumor

A dispute over Mid-Autumn gift boxes has turned into a fight over procurement records in Taichung. Deputy Mayor Cheng Zhaoxin rejected claims that city departments urgently withdrew orders for 345 boxes, calling the allegation a rumor. Opposition councilors responded that the city should publish the complete record before accusing them of spreading misinformation.

The controversy follows budget cuts and freezes affecting the Presidential Office’s discretionary operating funds. Nationwide, orders for 15,000 gift boxes from 37 sheltered workshops and disability organizations were reportedly canceled. In Taichung, orders involving five groups, including Shifang, Lida Qinen Center, Maria Foundation, Taiwan Down Syndrome Foundation and Smile Angel Bakery, covered 1,578 boxes worth more than NT$510,000.

Mayor Lu Shiow-yen instructed city departments to take over the purchases. The Economic Development Bureau, Labor Bureau, Cultural Affairs Bureau, Fire Bureau and Police Bureau placed orders. Cheng said the city had intended to show the procurement forms at the council meeting, but time ran out while the first questioning councilor also raised a planned visit to Dongguan, China.

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rumor

Councilor Chen Yu-jung said Cheng’s denial did not resolve the issue. She argued that if the city treats a canceled order as an abandonment, then an order placed last week and later retrieved would fit the same description. She called for the publication of records covering purchases, orders, cancellations and changes in procurement methods.

Councilor Chen Shu-hua said government purchases from sheltered workshops have long been common and that Taichung’s total this year was not significantly higher than in previous years. She supported the additional purchases but accused Lu of repeatedly using the canceled-order claim for political purposes and of misleading the public about the budget dispute.

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abandoning the order