ILOILO City — More than 172,000 public school teachers and non-teaching personnel nationwide are set to receive government-funded Apple MacBook Neo laptops worth P7.4 billion as the Department of Education (DepEd) moves to ease educators’ financial burden and strengthen digital learning and school administration.
Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara announced the procurement of 172,654 laptops during the DepEd Region 6 Literacy and Numeracy Expo at Punta Villa Resort in Arevalo, Iloilo City, on November 4.
The nationwide distribution will begin this month and continue until March 2027, with recipients selected under the DepEd Computerization Program (DCP).
Angara said the initiative fulfills President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to prioritize teachers’ welfare and provide them with quality equipment.
“I remember it very clearly; we met in his personal study in Malacañang, and he (Marcos) gave me a few instructions he’d like to see, and one of them was to take care of our teachers,” Angara said.
“We are buying the best possible hardware we can for our teachers, and I can tell you to this day that we are working very hard to promote our teachers and give them what they deserve,” he added.
DepEd purchased the laptops at approximately P43,000 each, about P6,900 below their P49,900 suggested retail price.
The procurement package includes a five-year warranty, pre-installed productivity tools, nationwide delivery and specialized training for recipients.
“Well, makikita nila na quality, durable, at may kasamang five-year warranty and I think our teachers and non-teaching staff deserve this, the best we can buy. Dahil sabi nga ni Pangulong Bongbong, ‘take care of our teachers’,” Angara stressed.
“Not only our teachers, but also our school officials and staff,” he added.
Angara said the initiative would help address the long-standing financial burden on teachers who often spend their own money purchasing, upgrading and maintaining computers for classroom instruction and administrative work.
Under the DCP guidelines, school heads and property custodians will nominate qualified teachers, prioritizing those without government-issued laptops.
Schools Division Offices will validate the beneficiaries and approve allocations, while regional supply officers will coordinate deliveries.
Speaking before approximately 800 education officials, school heads and division superintendents, Angara emphasized the government’s commitment to equipping teachers and school personnel with durable digital tools./PN
