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MANILA, Philippines - Posh conference kits for delegates have run out a day before the 45th Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board of Governors Annual Meeting started.
"So far, only a little over 2,000 bags have arrived, and the supplier could not even commit whether it would be able to complete its delivery. We are very concerned," a Department of Finance (DOF) official said. The government had ordered 4,500 units.
"And even if the bags arrive, it is not as easy as distributing it to the delegates since we have to put in a lot of things inside. We have no more time for that," the source said.
The Aquino administration set aside P2,000 for each olive canvas leather-strap bag, which contains a notebook, ballpen, USB memory stick and magazines. This is different from the P3,700 worth genuine leather bag for each of the 100 heads of delegates.
Another DOF official expressed "dissatisfaction" with the delivered goods. "It looks entirely different from the one presented during the bidding. We seriously feel shortchanged. We may file a suit for liquidated damages," the official said.
Some delegates however don't seem to mind the poor quality of their giveaways. Naseer Ahmad, a retired ADB official who is a delegate of the Association of Farmers ECS from Pakistan, was satisfied with the bag.
“Anything free is good, it’s not bad quality. If I were to buy it I am willing to spend $15 for this,” Ahmad said.
“I think the Republic of the Philippines spent $30 for this piece of bag. We like it very much,” Yoon Yun Kim of the Export-Import Bank of Korea said.
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