Recently, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the Department of Education (DepEd) for allegedly purchasing laptops worth PHP 58,300. While that price isn’t anything new when purchasing a new laptop, COA took particular notice of this price because the laptops that were purchased had an Intel Celeron, which is a processor considered outdated. So instead of the original 68,500 units, only 39,583 laptop units were purchased and distributed.
COA: The supposed number of laptops to be procured [for teachers] of 68,500 units was significantly reduced to 39,583 mainly due to the huge increase of [initial] estimated cost [by DepEd at] P35,046 [per unit] to P58,300 anchored on the DBM-PS’ recommendation @gmanews
— Llanesca T. Panti (@llanescajourno) August 3, 2022
In response, DepEd said they are “taking steps to address the recommendations” of COA and referred to the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management about the laptop’s price.
Regardless of what happened, we already have thousands of teachers struggling to conduct virtual classes using only an outdated laptop. Maybe the procurement officer only needed recommendations? So here’s a list of laptops within their budget (or less!) that would run much better than a unit with Intel Celeron.
Apple MacBook Air
First on our list is an Apple product, and despite its hefty price tag, we all can’t deny how well a MacBook works. With PHP 57,990, you can get a device that comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage and the trusty M1 chip, Apple’s very own processor, which is tried and tested and trusted compared to the outdated Celeron. Get it here.
ASUS VivoBook 15
This ASUS unit boasts a vibrant screen with its OLED and an affordable price tag of only PHP 49,995. It also comes with a Ryzen 7-5700U processor, 8GB RAM, and 512GB internal storage, all of which when combined gives you a powerful processing capability. Get it here.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
For PHP 38,990, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 can provide you with a smooth work and gaming experience with its Ryzen 5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 512GB storage. It also includes a built-in card reader for those who frequently transfer files from cameras or smartphones. Get it here.
Dell Inspiron 14
Acer Swift 3
Huawei Matebook D14
Infinix Inbook X1 Pro
MSI Modern 15
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