How can RD$100 million go up in smoke?

[Dolores]

The investigative journalist Nuria Piera published a long report on the recent announcement by the National Institute for Student Welfare (Inabie) that millions of pesos worth of student supplies would be incinerated because they are no good to anyone.

According to the report, the Ministry of Education put out a tender in 2012 for school supplies: shoes, backpacks, socks, shirts and trousers. The tender was won by a company tied to the brother of President Medina, Alexis Medina, who is currently under indictment in the Anti-Pulpo case.

As the reporter says, the warehouse manager who initially received the goods rejected them because they were not in accordance with the tender-sheet. Materials and clothing did not match the requirements. However, a superior of the warehouse manager insisted on receiving the goods, and even the former Minister of Education told Piera that she...

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[MariaRubia]

Surely they could just give them away? There are plenty of schools in poor areas that could benefit from these.

 

[M4kintosh]

Surely they could just give them away? There are plenty of schools in poor areas that could benefit from these.

That's their plan.
And most of this supply are with the old logos of the last PLD administration. They're erasing every single logo, identiy before the current party took over 5 years ago.

 

[josh2203]

They're erasing every single logo, identiy before the current party took over 5 years ago.

If anything, that shows you they have nothing useful to do... Politics over education and everything else, as seriously, who cares what logos the stuff has, as long as people who may have nothing could benefit from those... Elsewhere this would not be even discussed, all that stuff would be donated immediately, period...

 

[josh2203]

Surely they could just give them away? There are plenty of schools in poor areas that could benefit from these.

Not just schools, I bet there are plenty of kids who don't have backpacks and could benefit even from shoes or the socks...

 

[JLSawmam]

That's their plan.
And most of this supply are with the old logos of the last PLD administration. They're erasing every single logo, identiy before the current party took over 5 years ago.

Is there really a political logo on these items? That seems very short-sighted...can you imagine the potential waste every election year when the government needs to buy this stuff, yet doesn't know which party will be in power?

 

[MariaRubia]

Is there really a political logo on these items? That seems very short-sighted...can you imagine the potential waste every election year when the government needs to buy this stuff, yet doesn't know which party will be in power?

Just like every year when the police or Amet or airport security change the collection of letters they call themselves. There's a lot of money in uniforms.

 

[M4kintosh]

Is there really a political logo on these items? That seems very short-sighted...can you imagine the potential waste every election year when the government needs to buy this stuff, yet doesn't know which party will be in power?

Yes. Here's a comparison:

- Old backpacks prior 2020 (made by the PLD since 2004)

- New backpacks after 2020 (with the PRM logo party)

cc @MariaRubia

 

[JD Jones]

The older ones have the Escudo Dominicano I don't see that as reason enough to throw them out.