The laptop test

There’s slow, and then there’s the kind of slow that lets you finish your coffee before your laptop finishes starting up. Most of us have dealt with a computer like that. Annoying, yes. But imagine being a teacher expected to prepare lessons and submit reports on one every day.

Now imagine taxpayers paid nearly PHP 60,000 for it.

That was my first thought when I heard DepEd was acquiring more than 172,000 Apple MacBooks for public school teachers and personnel. Good news, certainly. Teachers deserve dependable computers.

But the announcement also brought back memories of those controversial laptops purchased in 2021. The specifications were modest. The price was anything but. And the questions about how the government ended up with that deal haven’t simply gone away.

You probably remember them, too. Intel Celeron processors. Rather modest specifications. And a price that made people look twice. The Commission on Audit flagged the procurement, questioning how the government ended up paying roughly PHP 58,000 per unit for machines that seemed far less capable than their price suggested.

That still bothers me. I have bought and used enough computers over the years to know that specifications matter. You don’t need the fastest processor for every task, of course. But you should at least get something reasonably suited to the work and the money being spent. When a government agency pays that much for an entry-level machine, somebody should have asked harder questions before signing anything.

Who recommended those specifications? Who checked the prevailing prices? Who decided the deal was acceptable? And did nobody along the way find the figures strange?

Maybe there are explanations buried somewhere in the procurement records. I’d like to hear them. Because when auditors themselves raise concerns about price and performance, we’re no longer talking about an ordinary purchasing mistake.

Those are red flags. Quite a few of them.

A slow laptop doesn’t prove corruption. But when taxpayers pay a premium for a machine with modest specifications, something deserves explaining. It could be poor judgment, weak oversight, or something worse. Either way, those red flags shouldn’t be ignored.

Now compare that with DepEd’s reported 2026 acquisition under Education Secretary Sonny Angara. The government says it secured 172,654 MacBook Neo laptops at approximately PHP 43,000 each, with a five-year warranty and accompanying training and support. Of these, 169,008 are intended for teachers and 3,646 for administrative personnel.

So the newer, faster Apple laptop reportedly costs less than the older Celeron machine. You can see why people are talking.

And yes, the comparison is tempting. The MacBook Neo has Apple’s A18 Pro processor and fast solid-state storage. The earlier laptops that drew criticism used considerably less capable hardware. On paper, the difference is substantial.

Yes, the purchases were five years apart, and the pandemic affected computer prices. But those facts don’t make the COA’s findings about the old laptops disappear.

My own experience with Apple goes back to 2015, when I was teaching and working as an administrator at Ateneo de Iloilo. I started using Apple gadgets then and never really felt the need to switch brands afterward. In all those years, I haven’t had a virus or a serious software bug to worry about. And the speed? I can’t complain. With lessons, reports, and administrative work to finish, having a fast, dependable computer makes life easier.

But switching from Windows to Mac takes some adjusting. School printers, projectors, and reporting systems don’t always cooperate. I’ve had my share of projector headaches, usually with people already waiting.

So let’s give teachers useful training, not just another ceremony. And when a laptop breaks, repairs shouldn’t take forever or come out of their pockets.

And who gets the laptops? Mabibigyan kaya ang talagang dapat bigyan? That’s a fair question when more than 172,000 units must be distributed among a much larger teaching workforce. A good deal means little if the computers don’t reach those who need them.

I hope DepEd makes the distribution criteria and schedule clear. Otherwise, we’ll have another situation where everyone celebrates the announcement while teachers wait to find out whether their school is even on the list.

Some people have also asked why we’re spending billions on laptops when schools still need classrooms, chairs, electric fans, books, and other basic supplies.

I understand that concern. I’ve visited schools where teachers make do with what little they have. A new computer won’t repair a leaking roof or make a crowded classroom comfortable. And if the internet connection barely works, even a very good laptop has its limits.

But I don’t think the answer is to stop buying computers until every classroom problem is solved. Teachers need technology, too. They shouldn’t have to use their personal savings to buy the equipment required for their jobs.

We should be able to demand both decent classrooms and dependable computers. Surely, that’s not asking too much.

What I find disappointing is how quickly the discussion has become another Duterte-versus-Marcos argument.

Some people seem determined to defend the old purchase because it happened under an administration they supported. Others are treating the new MacBooks as proof that the present government can do no wrong. And before long, people are calling one another names instead of asking what happened to the money.

I have no interest in defending a bad purchase simply because I happen to like the people who made it. Neither should anyone else.

I still can’t get over those 2021 laptops. Modest specifications, a hefty price, and COA findings that raised more questions than answers. Something wasn’t right, or at least deserved a much better explanation. But let’s be fair: Sara Duterte wasn’t DepEd secretary when the purchase happened.

If there was corruption, hold the people involved accountable. If the deal was aboveboard, show us the records. And let’s ask the same questions about the new MacBooks. Were they fairly purchased? Will the warranty actually help? And will the laptops reach teachers who need them? It’s taxpayers’ money. We deserve answers, whoever is in power.

And if the new deal is as good as it sounds, answering them should be easy enough.

I hope these MacBooks last, that repairs won’t be a headache, and that teachers get the help they need to use them. Most of all, I hope they reach those who need them most.

Because somewhere, a teacher is probably preparing tomorrow’s lesson tonight on an aging laptop. Maybe it’s a personal computer bought on installment. Maybe it’s a government-issued unit that has seen better days. Maybe the teacher is borrowing one from a colleague.

That teacher probably isn’t interested in winning an argument about Celeron versus Apple, or Duterte versus Marcos.

There are lessons to finish and students to face in the morning. Give that teacher a computer that works. Make sure the public gets its money’s worth. And when a government purchase raises serious red flags, don’t expect taxpayers to look the other way.

That seems a reasonable test for any administration.

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Doc H fondly describes himself as a “student of and for life” who, like many others, aspires to a life-giving and why-driven world grounded in social justice and the pursuit of happiness. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions that employ him or with which he is affiliated.