Taiwan's state oil company says it bought far more from disability-employment workshops than a lawmaker claimed, pushing back on accusations aimed at deflecting criticism over cut presidential gift budgets.

• CPC Corp says it spent about NT$14.75 million last year on goods, food and services from sheltered workshops and welfare groups.
• That is over 28% of its priority-purchase spending, well above the 10% minimum the disability rights law requires.
• Lawmaker Weng Hsiao-ling had said CPC budgeted NT$1.43 million and spent none of it; the company says it does not know where that figure came from.
• The fight started after Weng and others moved to cut NT$30 million from the presidential office's discretionary fund, forcing it to cancel an order of 15,000 Mid-Autumn gift boxes from 37 sheltered workshops.

Outlook: CPC says it has budgeted for the same purchases again this year, but the row over who is really hurting disabled workers is likely to keep running through the Mid-Autumn season.