Laborer from Manila’s slums wins P6M lotto jackpot

MANILA — A laborer from the slums of Manila will soon be able to sleep soundly in his own house as he became the country’s newest multimillionaire after claiming on Tuesday his more than P6-million lotto prize.

The 47-year-old father of four was one of the two lucky bettors who correctly picked the winning number combination 02-08-19-21-31-42 in the March 3 draw of the Lotto 6/42. The two winners shared the game’s jackpot prize of P13,078,736, with each receiving P6,539,368.

Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Vice Chair and General Manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II said that the winner claimed his prize at the agency’s head office in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday, while the other winner, who placed a bet in a Baguio lotto outlet, has not come forward to claim his share.

Rojas said that the winner would soon quit from his arduous job as a laborer so he could focus on the business he and his wife would start up. Rojas, however, added that the winner was still thinking of what type of business he would invest his money in.

Since the winner and his family have been staying in a rented house in Manila’s slums, he told Rojas that he would also use his prize to buy a house and lot. The winner added that he would be saving the rest of his winnings for the education and future needs of his children.

The winner told Rojas that he got the lucky combination from his birth date and from a dream. He added that it took him a decade of playing the lottery before he finally hit the jackpot prize. On the night he won, he only bought a single ticket.

The winner, who was not identified by the PCSO for security reasons, was the eighth lotto player who won and claimed his prize this year.  SFM