An Adobe software, which cost ₱168,000 per unit, was listed as ₱21 million each in the proposed budget submitted by PhilHealth’s IT sector, a whopping 12,400-percent increase from its original price, the auditors said in their report also in May.
Marlon Ramos in COA flags ‘overpriced’ PhilHealth IT project
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How many licenses can we buy for 21M?
| Adobe Creative Cloud for Teams (2020) | Adobe Creative Cloud for Individuals | Adobe Creative Suite 6 (CS6) (2012) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2020 | 2012 | 2012 |
| Price | ₱4,466 per month per license Source | $49.99 per month per license Source | $2,599 one time fee per license Source |
| PHP to USD exchange rate in 2012 | ₱42.679 Source | ||
| Price in PHP for 1 year | ₱53,592 | ₱25,560 | ₱110,900 |
| PhilHealth’s IT sector budget | ₱21,000,000 | ||
| Number of licenses | 390 licenses | 821 licenses | 189 licenses |
Let’s go for the highest yearly expense which is ₱110,900 for an Adobe CS6. Yes, the one that you can also install using a CD. That’s 189 licenses — maybe a couple for each priority PhilHealth office in the country.
But really — is that the only option? Buying Adobe licenses? I don’t know if it’s just me — but I don’t support PhilHealth building a creative public service out of this huge of a budget.
Could we centralize creative services and only buy several Adobe Creative Cloud licenses? For some offices that really need to produce posters and letterheads immediately — maybe use Figma or Canva for free.
Are we willing to think of creative ways especially if we can be sure that most of the ₱21,000,000 will be better spent on public health?
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