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MANILA, Philippines — A private school teacher from Aklan province became the country’s newest multimillionaire when he claimed the Grand Lotto 6/55 jackpot prize of close to P64 million.
The 51-year-old father of three was the sole player to correctly pick the winning combination 08-13-16-21-26-29 in the Aug. 1 draw of the Grand Lotto. He took home exactly P63,589,444.
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Vice Chair and General Manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II said the winner has been a faithful player of the lottery over the last decade. He added that the winner, who bought five tickets, got his winning combination from the birth dates and ages of his family.
When he claimed his prize at the PCSO’s head office in Mandaluyong City on Monday, the winner told Rojas that he would save a portion of his winnings for his children’s future, while putting the rest in the bank.
Rojas said the winner and his wife would like to invest the prize in a business, but the two have not decided on the nature of their enterprise.
Asked if he would retire early now that he has become a millionaire, the winner who has been in the teaching profession for two decades told Rojas that he’d still teach until his retirement age.
“I love teaching children,” Rojas quoted the winner as saying.
The Grand Lotto’s jackpot prize reached to close to P64 million after no lucky player correctly guessed the right combination in 18 draws, starting June 22. The game has a minimum guaranteed prize of P30 million.