Almost half of 433 lotto winners have already claimed prize: PCSO
Almost half of the 433 winners of the P236-million 6/55 Grand Lotto jackpot have shown up at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to claim their shares, the agency said on Monday (Oct 3).
In a Facebook post, the PCSO revealed that some winners have flocked to its head office in Mandaluyong City, with some agreeing to reveal their identity to the public.
“Gaya ng inaasahan, dumagsa ang mga nanalo sa tanggapan ng PCSO upang kunin ang kanilang mga napanalunan,” PCSO shared.
(As expected, winners have flocked to PCSO main to claim their prizes.)
“Isa sa mga patunay na totoo ang 433 lotto winners (One of the proofs that the 433 lotto winners are real),” the office said in another post, amid doubts on the unusual win.
The PCSO usually practices anonymity of Lotto winners, but some have been posted with consent from the winners to refute “questions and doubts” about the winnings.
“This should end everything, all the questions and doubts about the jackpot winnings of so many. Lumutang na sila at marami sa kanila ay nagsalita na direkta (They’ve surfaced, and many of them have already talked),” PCSO general manager and board vice chairman Melquiades Robles said.
Two tickets, one person
Meanwhile, one person won two of the 433 winning tickets which are entitled to receive P545,245.24 each, subject to 20% tax.
"Isang taya niya, sumabit yata. Yun, nadalawa yata ang ticket. (One bet might have malfunctioned. So their ticket became two). Eh, pinanindigan niya na rin. (They stood by it.) It turned out, it was a lucky break," Robles said.
Robles continued to defend the Lotto results saying that the office welcomed all the attention the lotto games got.
“Every time you play, the entire nation wins. Each and every one of you playing any of the PCSO games is a big contributor to the funds provided by PCSO to the government, LGUs (local government units), and especially to the various charity programs of the agency. Without your P20, PCSO cannot give anything to anyone,” Robles said.
Pola Rubio is a news writer and photojournalist covering Philippine politics and events. She regularly follows worldwide and local happenings. She advocates for animal welfare and press freedom. Follow her on Twitter @polarubyo for regular news and cat postings.
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