PhilHealth puts desktop PC budget at PHP 86K a piece

PhilHealth has denied the allegations regarding its proposed information and technology (IT) budget for 2020 which includes an alleged PHP 115USD 2INR 166EUR 2CNY 14 million budget for one laptop.

During a meeting with the Senate, PhilHealth senior vice president and chief information officer Jovita Aragona explained the breakdown of the controversial PHP 115USD 2INR 166EUR 2CNY 14 million budget. As reported by ABS-CBN, it is allocated for 1,341 units of regular desktops with a 3-year warranty. The official hasn’t disclosed the specs of the PCs but each model is priced at PHP 86,000USD 1,465INR 124,236EUR 1,396CNY 10,673.

Photo credits: ABS-CBN

Other items included under its proposed IT budget are 6 units of high-end laptops, 21 regular laptops, and 53 laptops in small-form-factor which costs PHP 56,000USD 954INR 80,898EUR 909CNY 6,950, PHP 50,562USD 862INR 73,042EUR 821CNY 6,275, and PHP 51USD 0.87INR 74EUR 0.83CNY 6, 200 each, respectively. PhilHealth has allocated a total of PHP 4.1USD 0.07INR 6EUR 0.07CNY 0.51 million for the laptops.

Aragona also denied the accusations of board member Alejandro Cabading regarding the PHP 98.07USD 2INR 142EUR 2CNY 12 million-worth of one item labelled as “unspecified three projects” in the said budget proposal.  The latter earlier accused his colleagues, as well as PhilHealth CEO Ricardo Morales, for the approval of the initial office equipment and software budget worth PHP 2.1USD 0.04INR 3EUR 0.03CNY 0.26 billion.

The PhilHealth official also shared that the department’s proposed budget has yet to be approved by the board. Revisions on its information systems strategic plan (ISSP) would be made following the expenditure plan’s approval.

Source: ABS-CBN News