MANILA, Philippines - A 60-year-old Balikbayan almost didn't get the winning ticket that would land him the biggest cash prize in Philippine lotto history.
According to Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office chair Margie Juico, the balikbayan was on vacation with relatives in Subic when they thought of buying lotto tickets at the Royal Duty Free Mall.
"Sabi niya ito ang pangalawang beses niya na tumaya sa 6/55 tapos itong pangalawa nanalo siya. Parang katuwaan nilang mga magkakapatid at pinsan na tataya sila (He said it was his second time to bet on 6/55. For fun, he and his siblings and cousins played the lotto)," she said.
While waiting in line, a woman suddenly cut in front of the Balikbayan and bought a ticket at the lotto counter. The woman also chose a lucky pick 6-number combination or a number that is randomly generated by computer.
"Ang sabi niya, Naku! Kung naghintay lang ang babae sana siya na ang nanalo (He said, if the woman had only waited she would have won the lotto jackpot)," Juico said.
The PCSO chief said the balikbayan also chose to get a luck pick combination that would win him the P741 million 6/55 Grand Lotto jackpot. She said the winner is planning to return to New York, where his family has been staying for the past several years, and then return to the Philippines and retire.
Juico said the balikbayan was wearing a white T-shirt, rubber shoes and long pants when he claimed the P741 million check with his relatives at the PCSO head office in Quezon City on Thursday afternoon.
Juico said that based on their conversation, she concluded that the man is a very religious person.
The holder of the "lucky pick" 6-number combination was in a religious pilgrimage and was praying before the Kamay Ni Hesus Shrine in Lucban, Quezon when he received a call from his relatives, telling him that he might have won the Grand Lotto jackpot.
Returning from the religious pilgrimage, the balikbayan's wife eagerly asked him to check if he really won the lotto jackpot that was being sought by millions of Filipinos.
Juico said that according to the man, he asked his wife if he could just check the next morning because he was very tired and really needed to go to bed.
The next morning, the man compared his ticket with the winning combination published in a newspaper and confirmed that he had won the largest jackpot ever won in the Philippines.
Juico said that the old man did not have immediate plans on what to do with the money. She said that the old man mentioned his "apo" (grandchild) and may save some of the prize money for the child's future.
(abs-cbnNEWS.com)
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