“Congrats sa taga-edit.”
This was one of the comments of Filipinos after the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Wednesday reported about a lone bettor from San Juan Del Monte, Bulacan winning the jackpot prize of the Lotto 6/42 draw.
The lotto was drawn on Dec. 28, 2023 and the prize was P43,882,361.60 or around P43 million.
The new millionaire is a 47-year-old housewife who the PCSO said correctly guessed the winning numbers (18-34-01-11-28-04) taken from her family’s birthdates and two other special numbers, 28 and 34.
The winner said she placed the bet as the number “28” often represents a “car,” while the number “34” is a “house.”
The bettor added that she plans to invest her winnings in business, buy a new home and deposit the rest into her two children’s savings accounts.
Winners who claim lotto prizes must sign the back of the winning ticket, provide two valid government IDs for verification and adhere to the 20% tax on prizes exceeding P10,000 under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law or TRAIN Law.
They also have one year from the draw date to claim their prizes at the PCSO Main Office in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong.
When the agency shared the report on its Facebook page, it earned a whopping number of 53,000 likes and laughing reactions, 9,500 comments and 48,000 shares.
Majority of the commenters congratulated the PCSO, while others cast doubt on the authenticity of the photo and congratulated the one who they thought “edited” the picture of the lotto winner.
“Twice ko ng nakita na edited ‘yung 2 [two] picture ng jackpot winners,” a Facebook user wrote.
“Ang galing ng editor nito ah,” another Pinoy commented with laughing emojis.
“Congrats sa taga-edit…” wrote a different Facebook user with similar emojis.
“Galing mag-edit (laughing emoji) titigang mabuti,” another Pinoy wrote.
The lotto winner’s photo also earned similar comments on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
“Edges ng [katawan hindi] consistent. Pati ‘yung color ng edges ng hair. [‘Yung] light reflection ng mask and neck,” an X user wrote.
“Editing iskils,” another X account commented.
A different Pinoy also pointed out some of the things he noticed on the winner’s image.
— J-Hoe #BoiToi (@JuanderBBoi) January 17, 2024
“Ako ba’y ‘di namamalikmata sa picture na ito? Parang may photoshopping na naganap?” another X user asked.
The PCSO intentionally withholds the identity of major lotto winners for security purposes. This includes their names, specific addresses and images in case they are identified.
Earlier this month, a lotto winner from Albay dispelled claims that the agency was not upfront about its draws and games.
RELATED: Lotto winner dispels longtime claims that PCSO draws and games are not real
According to her, people should try betting to know that they could really win.
Lottos are among the ways the PCSO raises and provides funds for health programs, medical assistance and charities in the country. Other forms are sweepstakes.
The money used for selling lotto tickets is used to fund various medical projects and activities that are beneficial to the public.
