MANILA, Philippines -- Pinning his hopes on the lottery games of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to recover from the devastation wrought by Super typhoon "Ondoy" in Sept. 2009 has been the source of strength for a 57-year-old poor jeepney driver of Cainta, Rizal, until it was pay back time: On Monday morning, he claimed the P23,585,160.60 Mega Lotto 6/45 jackpot in the draw on March 21.
PCSO General Manager Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II relayed this to journalists, saying the PCSO management led by Chairperson Margarita P. Juico feels happy for the 32 lotto winners in 2011.
Meanwhile, Rojas said two lotto bettors of Iriga City, Camarines Sur, and Las Piñas City, Metro Manila, also realized their dreams of making it big through the on-line lotteries of the PCSO.
They won and will split the P76,874,533.20 bonanza in the SuperLotto 6/49 draw on Sunday, March 27, Rojas said.
He said the Bicol winner placed a bet at a lotto outlet along Highway 1, Rizal Street in Iriga City while the Las Piñas winner purchased ticket at 39-C BF Resort Village, Talon 3.
They both got the winning numbers of 03-37-10-07-23-05 and will split equally at P38,437,266.60 each the jackpot.
Information reaching Rojas from lawyer Lauro Patiag, manager of the Internal Audit Department (PCSO-IAD), showed that the Cainta winner was one of the victims of “Ondoy” during which his house was completely destroyed.
Rojas said the Mega Lotto winner will first buy a house and rebuild his family's shattered life because of “Ondoy.”
The PCSO official said the super typhoon completely destroyed the winner's house.
Thus, the driver, who plies a rented dilapidated jeep to make both ends meet, vowed to bet on the PCSO’s lotto games so he can build a new house for his family and rebuild their shattered life.
From then on, he said, the jeep driver never failed to bet P20 on the combination he maintained out of his birthday, his two children’s and his grandchildren's.
Las Piñas housewife claims P38-M jackpot
MANILA, Philippines – A 54-year-old housewife, a pharmacist by profession, of Las Piñas City, Metro Manila, on Monday afternoon claimed her P38,437,266.60 share from the P76,874,533.20 Super Lotto 6/49 jackpot drawn on March 27 by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
PCSO General Manager Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II said the Las Piñas mother is one of the two winners of the Super Lotto, who split the windfall from the Sunday draw.
The other winner from Iriga City, Camarines Sur, has yet to claim the other half, he said. They both guessed the winning numbers — 03-37-10-07-23-05, the PCSO official said Rojas said the PCSO management led by Chairperson Margarita P. Juico hopes that out of their winnings the lotto patrons would be able to transform their lives for the better.
"That's the beauty of the PCSO. We help the poor and sometimes even make them rich," Juico once said.
Rojas said this is how it goes:
"Aside from helping the PCSO fulfill its charity work through medical and health services for poor Filipinos the lotto bettors also have the chance to realize their dreams of escaping the scourge of poverty every time they buy lottery tickets," said Rojas, concurrent media manager and spokesman of PCSO.
For every peso bet on any lotto game of the PCSO, he said, 55 centavos go to the Prize Fund, 30 centavos for Charity Fund, and only 15 centavos are channeled to the state agency's Operating Fund.
Lawyer Lauro Patiag, manager of Internal Audit Department (PCSO-IAD), said the Las Piñas winner put her luck on two System 7 bets, each one costing P140.
(In a System 7 bet, the lotto computer will generate seven six-number combinations out of a bettor's seven chosen numbers.)
Patiag said the winner had been betting on her numbers which she got from a magazine for 15 years. She got her wish in the draw on March 27 draw of 6/49, he added Patiag said from his personal analysis, the various lotteries, such as Grand Lotto 6/55, Super Lotto, Mega Lotto 6/45, and Lotto 6/42, have loyal patrons of about two million.
"So, because of the many numbers of sure bettors there is a bigger chance that the jackpot, especially of 6/45, is won," said Patiag, also a certified public accountant (CPA).
His personal analysis seems plausible because of the four lotto games Mega Lotto from Jan. 1 to March 28, 2011 has been the most prolific maker of millionaires.
In that period alone, Mega Lotto produced 18 winners, Grand Lotto yielded three, Super Lotto made six, and 6/42 gave out four.
From 2005 to 2010, Patiag said, PCSO's lotto games produced 853 winners and gave out P14.4 billion.
Also in that six month period, he said, 76 bettors won P50 million and above jackpot, for a total of P6.8 billion.
This developed as Patiag assured every winner's confidentiality, saying the PCSO will never give out the name, picture and address of the winners for security reason and in conformity with PCSO policy.
source: MB
By EDD K. USMAN
