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EP35 · Number check

Pingtung's budget looks great, so where's the money? The Sichongxi hot spring public bath at 5.33% execution

We lined up the National Audit Office reports, the magistrate's election bulletin, procurement notices and a Control Yuan report: the Sichongxi public bath spent NT$3,731,000 of NT$70 million, the cold-chain line will not be handed over until 2027, and the tourism projects were flagged by both the Control Yuan and the auditors.

Capability
Number check
Published
Length
2:59
Format
Long-form (16:9)

Original YouTube title: 屏東縣府預算寫得很好看,那錢呢?四重溪溫泉公共浴室執行率5.33%

The method behind this video

  1. Open the National Audit Office report on Pingtung's 2024 final accounts, table "construction projects with annual execution below 80%": the Sichongxi public bath rebuild has a total budget of NT$115 million, NT$70 million available that year, NT$3,731,000 spent, a 5.33% execution rate, and a schedule ending November 2026.
  2. Check the same table in the 2025 report: the total is revised to NT$121,216,000, all of it available, with NT$16,097,000 spent, 13.28%. Two years of spending add up to NT$19,828,000, under a fifth of the total, with opening promised for this November.
  3. Compare item two of the magistrate's 2022 election bulletin, "export steam-heat cold-chain packaging plant and processing facility", with procurement notices: the phase-three line, budgeted at NT$500,258,768, failed its first tender and was only awarded on 2026/1/13, with performance estimated to January 2027; CNA reports handover in February 2027, while the magistrate's term ends this December.
  4. Match each tourism promise with its progress: the Gaoshu Ecological Wilderness Park design and supervision contract was only awarded in November 2024; the Jialeshui international mountain-and-sea park costs over NT$660 million and runs 2026 to 2029; the Control Yuan's Hengchun Peninsula report flags tourism statistics, cross-agency governance and operations; the auditors' 2025 report says the indigenous village tour reports were incomplete, approved items were not carried out, under half of the shuttle drivers held professional licenses, and tours lacked emergency medical equipment.
  5. For the Hengchun tourist railway, read the Railway Bureau's project page: the feasibility study went to the transport ministry on 2025/10/31, review comments came back on 12/31, a revision was resubmitted on 2026/3/31, and on 5/26 the ministry asked for another revision and resubmission.

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Video description

Show video description

The Sichongxi hot spring public bath has a total budget of NT$115 million. In 2024 the project had NT$70 million to spend. When the National Audit Office counted at year end, NT$3,731,000 had actually been spent, an execution rate of 5.33%. The auditors put it in the final accounts report. Opening is expected this November.

In the magistrate's own 2022 election bulletin, item two is an export steam-heat cold-chain packaging plant and processing facility. Phase one passed acceptance in January 2025, the phase-three production line was only contracted this January, and handover is set for February 2027. The magistrate's term ends this December.

The bulletin promised tourism diversity and more visitors. The Gaoshu Ecological Wilderness Park, NT$260 million, was still in basic design last May; Jialeshui, NT$660 million, is scheduled through 2029. The Control Yuan investigated tourism on the Hengchun Peninsula and wrote that statistics, governance and operations all need improvement; on indigenous village tours, the auditors wrote that reporting of results, implementation and visitor safety were all inadequate.

The Hengchun tourist railway was revised and sent to the transport ministry in March, and in May it was told to revise and resubmit again. The budget looks great, so where's the money?

Adapted from the published video description. Watch the original for the full content.

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