Manila, Philippines - A 60-year-old carpenter from Las Piñas City who also serves as a barangay tanod won the 6/55 Grand Lotto draw on Wednesday, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) announced.
The lucky bettor claimed his P356,552,917.20 jackpot prize at the PCSO office at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City yesterday, according to PCSO general manager Jose Fernandez Rojas II.
Rojas said the winner, who picked the six-digit winning combination 05-09-19-26-30-45, was accompanied by his two sons and some relatives when he claimed the prize.
Rojas said the winner, a laborer who lives in a shanty in a squatter area in Almanza II, only spent P20 for the ticket that showed a combination taken from the birthdays of his family members and other significant events.
It was gathered that the winner, whose name was withheld for security reasons, is married with six children.
The winner said they immediately left their shanty upon learning they hit the jackpot and will use the money to settle down and buy a house and lot in their home province of Bicol.
His neighbors in Almazan said the family has not returned to their shanty since yesterday, triggering rumors that they won the lotto jackpot.
“Sana bumalik siya para may balato kami (I hope he will return to share his winnings),” one of the neighbors said.
When interviewed at the PCSO, the winner said he would return to Bicol and put the money in the bank and share his winnings with poor relatives.
The winner did not say if he would return to his shanty in Las Piñas where they stayed for the last three years.
Leo Imatani, owner of the lotto outlet that sold the winning ticket, said he already had a hunch that one of his bettors won the jackpot prize.
He said the lucky ticket was bought at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday by one of the bettors who even tried to beat the deadline.
“The line was long and I felt that somebody will win in our place,” Imatani said.
At about 9 p.m. when the lotto was drawn live on television, Imatani claimed hearing shouts and yelling at a nearby compound in Almazan.
Imatani said he simply ignored the commotion, thinking that it could be someone quarreling.
The following morning, Imatani said he was informed by the PCSO that his outlet sold the winning ticket. He said he would get P500,000 as incentive for selling the winning ticket.
The previous winner of the 6/55 draw was a 60-year-old balikbayan who bought his ticket at a shopping mall in Olongapo City. He won the biggest jackpot so far at P741 million in November last year.
Source: Perseus Echeminada (The Philippine Star)
Carpenter wins P356-M Lotto pot
MANILA, Philippines — The long and arduous journey of a 60-year-old village carpenter in conquering the challenges of everyday life suddenly encountered an unexpected relief after his lone bet won Wednesday’s 172nd draw of the Grand Lotto 6/55 conducted by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
This lucky carpenter, who moonlights as a barangay tanod (village watchman) in Las Piñas, Metro Manila immediately claimed the next day his winnings of P356,552,917.20 at the PCSO central office.
The bettor hit the winning combination of 09-05-26-30-19-45 – consisting of their wedding anniversary and birth dates, which he has been betting on for three years.
He came to the PCSO pretty nervous – his hands were cold as ice.
From the looks of his face – solemn and almost expression-less – one will glean this man’s hard struggle of 60 long years in this world.
This man, who lives with his family in an informal settlers colony, is one of the estimated three to five million punters who placed their bets for the 6/55’s Wednesday draw.
When asked, the winner told PCSO officials that he intends to buy a house and lot, try some business ventures, and place the rest of his winnings in the bank while thinking of what to do with it.
He and his wife, who is a street sweeper, have six children, and only the youngest made it to school and only up to secondary level.
Due to the poverty they were in from the start in Albay, Bicol, the couple and their children were not able to go to school.
The winner came with his son and another relative to claim the coveted jackpot.
It was learned that some two months ago, the winner came to the PCSO to seek assistance for his son’s P86,000 hospital bills, where the PCSO helped him with P30,000.
As this developed, PCSO Chairman Margarita P. Juico said the 6/55 winner got his prize in full, and assuredly tax-free.
“We do not intend nor plan to impose any tax on the lotto prize money,” she stressed.
Juico said she hopes the jackpot money stays in the Philippines and not be brought abroad where it will be taxed, apparently referring to the Filipino-American winner of 6/55’s P741 million pot on November 29 last year who paid some P223 million in tax to the United States government.
Meanwhile, PCSO General Manager Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II said the latest winner came to the PCSO in Pasay City at about 10 a.m. and was directed to the Internal Audit Department (PCSO-IAD) where winning tickets are validated.
Upon validation of his winning ticket, the winner was led to PCSO-IAD Manager Lauro A. Patiag to get his profile.
However, names, addresses, and photographs of winners are not divulged for their security.
Patiag said the winner had been placing bets for three years, and once a week, and only and when he had money left for a lotto ticket.
Luckily on Wednesday, the PCSO-IAD official said, the carpenter had P20 left with him and proceeded to place a bet at a lotto outlet in T.S. Cruz Subdivision in Almanza Dos.
The lotto outlet that sold the Grand Lotto winning ticket will get a commission of P500,000.
Source: By EDD K. USMAN (Manila Bulletin)
