Toddler’s pick nets P9M in lotto jackpot for dad

A three-year-old boy from Laguna helped his father become a millionaire by correctly picking the winning numbers in last month’s draw of the Mega Lotto.

The winner, a 27-year-old construction worker in Laguna, was the lone player who guessed the winning combination 28-26-11-31-15-12 in the June 24 draw of the Mega Lotto 6/45. He took home the minimum guaranteed prize of P9 million.

Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Vice Chair and General Manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II said the winner made his only son pick the numbers from the lotto stub more than a year ago. Since then, the winner kept on betting on the numbers his son gave him till he hit the jackpot prize in June.

When he claimed his prize at the agency’s head office in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday, the winner told Rojas that he would use his winnings to buy a house and lot and a passenger jeepney, which he’d use to earn a living. He added that with his prize, he could now marry his longtime live-in partner.

The winner also told Rojas that since his son was instrumental in attaining his fortune, he would make sure to save a portion of his prize for the college education of the boyi.

Rojas said that the winner has been playing the lottery for a decade, and that he only bought a single ticket to win the jackpot prize.

(With a report from Maera Tezuka, intern)