The Department Education (DepEd) under the administration of former President-turned-Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo allegedly bought “vintage” computers which worth a whooping P400,000 each.
Based upon the report of News5, the “overpriced” computer set dubbed by netizens as “vintage” unit is a Windows 98-run desktop powered by Intel Pentium 4 processors. The units were reportedly purchased from a certain supplier Merryland Publishing Corp.
Technology website Yugatech noted that the P400,000 price tag of each unit which is presumed for the price of a car is “staggering” although they were purchased in the mid of 2008 until 2010.
“If we are to put it in today’s setting, PHP400,000 can give you four 27″ iMacs, three top-of-the-line gaming notebooks, two 6-core with dual GPU Mac Pro, or even a decent automobile,” the tech site said.
In a separate report from The Philippine Star, the staggering amount of each computer can be compared to a brand-new Japanese mini hatchback car which can be purchased at around P388,000.
Aside from the vintage computers, the department allegedly bought textbooks from suppliers Book on Wheels and Vicarish Publication which stands at P200 to P300 each. The report noted that each book would originally cost less than P100 thus low-quality paper is used for printed materials.
The anomaly has been raised on the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture. The authorities will conduct an immediate investigation regarding these overpriced items.
The suppliers; Merryland Publishing Corp., Book on Wheels and Vicarish Publication were granted contracts more than P1 billion each.