Philippines Mayor’s $175K PC Purchase Sparks Legendary Tech Scandal

In what might be the most expensive game of Minesweeper ever funded by public money, a former mayor in the Philippines is under fire for allegedly spending ₱10 million (~$175,000 USD) on 16 generic PCs, keyboards, monitors, and a single server. That’s not a typo. That’s the whole invoice.

The current mayor, Sally A. Lopez, called out the purchase on Facebook, saying the price was “too high and not tested.” And based on the breakdown? She’s not wrong.

What Was Purchased (Allegedly)

According to the post and follow-up documents:

• 16 generic PCs with Intel 11th Gen CPUs
• 16 Jedel G17 keyboard + mouse combos
  • Retail price: ~$5 each
• 16 Fonudar monitors
  • Estimated range: $17–$78 per unit
• 1 server with:
  • Intel Core i9 14th Gen
  • 32GB RAM
  • 512GB SSD
  • 10TB HDD

Even with generous pricing, the total hardware value lands somewhere around $12,000–$15,000. So where did the other $160K go? That’s the million-peso question.

The Math Doesn’t Math

Tom’s Hardware ran a rough estimate using Newegg pricing:

• PC build (with UPS): ~$670 each
• Total for 16 units: ~$10,720
• Peripherals + monitors: ~$800–$1,000
• Server (even high-end): unlikely to exceed $5,000–$7,000

Even accounting for inflation, shipping, and local markup, the numbers don’t come close to ₱10 million. Unless those machines came with gold-plated SATA cables and a lifetime subscription to Photoshop for every barangay.

Community Response: Tech Solidarity Incoming

In a silver-lining twist, Carlo Ople—CEO of Unbox, a Philippines-based tech shop—announced a “tech care package” initiative to help offset the damage. It’s unlikely to cover the full discrepancy, but it’s a start. And it’s a reminder that the tech community doesn’t just build rigs—we call out bad deals when we see them.

Final Thoughts: This Isn’t Just a Bad Purchase—It’s a Case Study in Procurement Failure

Whether it was negligence, corruption, or just someone Googling “best PC” and clicking the first link, this deal is a disaster. And it’s a reminder that public tech procurement needs transparency, oversight, and someone who knows what a Jedel G17 actually costs.

Because $175K for 16 generic desktops? Yeah, that’s one really, really bad deal right there!