A former mayor of a city in the Philippines has been accused of overcharging with a purchase valued at nearly $175,000 for 16 PCs and additional equipment, including a server. This expenditure was flagged by the current mayor, Sally A. Lopez, who stated, “The price is too high and has not been tested whether it works or not, former Mayor Bajada paid immediately.”

In a post shared by Ukc Ibrahim on Facebook, it was revealed that the former mayor, Darwin Bajada, managed to spend approximately 10 million Philippine pesos (around $174,932) for the computing setup. The actual value of the computers and associated devices has been estimated at a fraction of that cost, stirring public scrutiny and skepticism about the previous administration’s expenditures.

The report indicates that the monitors included in the procurement were likely Fonudar, costing between $17 to $78 each, hinting the total expenses do not align with the claimed sum. The major discrepancy has prompted a local tech shop’s CEO, Carlo Ople, to offer tech donations to support the community affected by the previous mayor’s fiscal decisions.