MANILA, Philippines – A street sweeper from Malabon and a farmer from Quezon have each won over P100 million in the lotto games of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
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| Street sweeper from Malabon (left) and a farmer from General Luna, Quezon (right) claim their lotto prize at the main office of PCSO in Mandaluyong City. |
The first millionaire is a mother who has been working as a street sweeper for 25 years. She has been living an impoverished life raising her four children because her husband didn’t have a permanent job. She said life has been tough, and they have been renting a house for their stay. Winning the jackpot prize is a great blessing from God, she says.
She claimed her Mega Lotto 6/45 jackpot prize of P103,269,281.60 million. Her winning combination was 10-12-02-27-03-18, drawn on June 17, 2022.
According to the prize winner, the combination was from her brother. She said she spends P300 to P400 a day taking her chances playing lotto games everyday.
“Sa hirap ng buhay namin, nangangarap po akong manalo kaya ganito po ako kalaki tumaya. Umaasa po ako sa tuwing tataya ako mananalo ako,” she said.
When the winning numbers were announced, the winner recalled how she knelt down and cried because of happiness.
“Ako po ay naka subscribe sa PCSO sa FB page po, kaya noong gabi pa lang pagkatapos ng draw inabangan ko talaga ang update sa aking cellphone. Una po, akala ko lima lang ang aking tinamaan, inulit kong tingnan kinabukasan at doon ko nakita lahat pala ng numero ay tinamaan ko. Napaluhod at umiyak ako dahil hindi ko inakala,” she recalled.
The lucky mother said she plans to divide her money among her four children. She also plans to buy their own house, help their relatives, and donate to the church.
“Sobra po akong nagpapasalamat sa PCSO, tutuo po palang may nanalo at isa na ako doon. Hanggang ngayon po, hindi ako makapaniwala , umiyak po ako ng sobra –sobra . Salamat sa taas at salamat sa PCSO,” she said.
Meanwhile, the 29-year-old farmer from Quezon also couldn’t believe his luck. He won the Ultra Lotto 6/58 jackpot prize worth 100,064,568.00. His winning combination was 20-22-09-54-06-19, drawn on May 24, 2022.
The millionaire has been a farmer growing fruits for 10 years. He said with his prize, he plans to place the money in a bank and think of a good business. He also plans to get life insurance and an education plan for his child.
He said that luck truly happens unexpectedly. He added that it’s important to have faith in God and to try and take your chances in luck.
“Ang swerte minsan, hindi natin aakalain kung kailan darating. Ang tanging magagawa na lang natin ay patuloy na sumubok at maniwala. Patuloy lang tayong manalig sa Panginoon. Sa loob ng ilang taong pagbabakasakali, hindi ako makapaniwala na nakamtan ko ito ngayon. Salamat PCSO dahil naging instrumento kayo para mabago ang buhay namin,” he said.
— Sally, The Summit Express