DPWH-Southern Mindoro defends purchase of 5 laptops worth P930,000
THE five high-performance laptops purchased by the DPWH-Southern Mindoro for P930,000. (Jerry Alcayde)
CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro – The Department of Public Works and Highways-Southern Mindoro District Engineering Office (DPWH-SMDEO) defended the purchase of five high-performance laptops worth a total of P930,000, saying these were purchased in full compliance with Republic Act No. 9184, the Government Procurement Reform Act, and all relevant rules, regulations and existing procedures.
In a statement, the SMDEO said these complied with the technical specifications issued by the DPWH-Information Management Service (IMS) which conducts needed studies on emerging technologies intended for their operational requirements.
IMS also provides the specifications for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment that include laptops and desktops.
Three have specialized applications requiring high-performance capabilities and two are being used for general office application.
The price for each laptop included not only the hardware but also the genuine licensed software such as Microsoft Office CSP and Windows 11 Pro, the SMDEO said.
“Home and single language licenses are not permissible for enterprise or government use, as they do not meet the security and compliance standards set for public institutions,” SMDEO said.
“The use of unlicensed or pirated software, while prevalent in some domestic settings, is strictly prohibited as it violates the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 8293) and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (RA No. 10175),” it added.
These were bought in 2024 and are now being used by the Planning and Design Section required to use Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Auto CAD, and Civil 3D in the preparation of infrastructure plans and designs.
The programs, SMDEO said, require high specification hardware to deliver accurate, efficient and reliable outputs.
The SMDEO issued the clarification after a social media post claimed that the laptops were bought at a higher cost compared to ordinary laptops in the market.
It emphasized that it is committed to responsible fiscal management and transparent governance.