JanSport Controversy Doesn’t Dampen Back-to-School Spirit

It’s back-to-school season, and while the focus is usually on fresh supplies and new beginnings, this year’s buzz has taken an unexpected turn. In Caribbean Shores, Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa is weighing in on a donation of JanSport backpacks, some of which may not be the real deal. But for Musa, the bigger picture is about community support and the joy these gifts bring to families in need. He says whether the bags are authentic or not, the smiles they spark are very real.

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“Every single year, politicians, and now even police officers like Mr. Gamboa, receive donations from the business community as an act of kindness, not just from the business community but from Mr. Gamboa as well. This is a very trying time, troubling time and a lot of our families depend on these types of donations, so many of times we don’t question whether it’s authentic or not. I was mentioning earlier that I don’t even remember whether there was an authentic or fake. So it’s good to create the awareness of that, but at the same time we have to give thanks to those business communities that do donate backpacks, whether fake or authentic, because at the end of the day, what truly matters is the smiles on these children’s faces, the smiles on the parents’ faces to know that their children have something to go to food.”

 

Isani Cayetano

“But it could be argued that it’s almost as if though one is condoning what is taking place on the black market with counterfeiting.”

 

Kareem Musa

“It’s something that I think the customs department will have to look at. Like I said, these are the business community making donations and this story, truly, although starting out controversial, ended up positive because we saw where A&R came out and said perhaps it wasn’t the best time to raise this issue because Mr. Gamboa, let’s face it, is not making money off of these backpacks. He’s giving them out, and so there’s no money to be made off of these backpacks. And so, at the end of the day, I think it’s a legal issue that perhaps A&R might have to take to the court against anybody who is importing fake backpacks, if they are fake.”