As the agency begins distributing the laptops nationwide.
Speaking at a Malacañang press briefing on Tuesday, November 10, Secretary Sonny Angara said that the agency has put safeguards in place in order to ensure that the over 231,000 newly procured teacher laptops are distributed fairly and protected against illegal transfers or misuse.
Highlighting the scope of the computerization rollout, which runs from November 2026 to March 2027, he said: “Ito ang pinakamalawak at pinakamalalim na computerization program sa kasaysayan ng edukasyon sa Pilipinas sa ilalim ng administrasyong Marcos.”
Angara has also stressed that these laptops are cinsidered properties of the government, which means that selling, pawning, or the unauthorized trabsfer of ownership are considered illegal.
These laptops are assigned through official accountability records, specifically enrolled in DepEd’s Mobile Device Management (MDM) system.
This, he said, allows authorities to remotely lock or disable stolen or illegally sold devices, while violators face administrative and criminal charges.
“Hindi po puwedeng ibenta ang mga ito dahil nananatili itong government property. Bawat paaralan ay may nakatalagang property custodian na nagbabantay sa imbentaryo at maayos na paggamit ng mga laptop,” he explained.
Under the DepEd Computerization Program, the Department noted that it has awarded contracts for 231,725 laptops for teachers nationwide, comprising 169,008 MacBook Neo units and 62,717 Windows-based units. The procurement also includes 3,646 MacBook Neo laptops for administrative officers.
The department also shared previously that through competitive bidding process, they were able to acquire each laptop unit for the price range of PHP40,000 to PHP43,000, which is below retail cost.
Moreover, bundled productivity tools, nationwide delivery, and professional training for recipients, as well as the five-year warranty, DepEd said that it estimates the complete package’s commercial value to be more than PHP70,000 per unit—nearly double the retail price of each unit.
“Napakasulit nito para sa gobyerno. Dahil sa bukas at patas na bidding, nakuha natin ang mga laptop nang mas mababa sa retail price pero kumpleto sa benepisyo,” Angara said.
While current stocks do not yet cover all public school teachers, DepEd is partnering with local governments and expanding connectivity programs to reach a 1:1 laptop-to-teacher ratio.
Angara expressed hope that strong reception from educators will help secure a larger budget for the DepEd Computerization Program in 2027.
“Nakikita natin ang tuwa at malaking tulong nito sa ating mga guro at non-teaching personnel,” he said. “Umaasa tayo na maisasaalang-alang ito sa susunod na budget allocation para sa 2027 upang mas marami pa tayong mabigyan at tuluyang mapunan ang pangangailangan sa mga pampublikong paaralan.”
On Monday, November 9, aside from distributing 209 Apple MacBook Neo units to 10 public schools in Dagupan City, the DepEd also released the selection guidelines.
Regarding that, Angara stated: “Malinaw at patas ang ating sistema. Uunahin natin ang mga paaralan at guro na hindi pa nakakatanggap ng laptop mula sa gobyerno, lalo na ang mga nangunguna sa pagtuturo gamit ang teknolohiya.”
