By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Just like Rod Stewart’s song “Some Guys Have All the Luck,” the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has taken exception.

Contrary to the expose’ by way of a Senate privilege speech of Senator Raffy Tulfo claiming that a lone bettor won 20 times in just one month, the PCSO on Wednesday (13 March 2024) clarified that the 20 lotto wins allegedly made by a single person were not scooped from its multimillion-peso jackpot games.

“What Sen. Tulfo failed to notice was that the same list would also show that for jackpot-bearing games like Lotto 6/42, Mega Lotto 6/45, Super Lotto 6/49, Grand Lotto 6/55, and Ultra 6/58, there was no winner who won more than once,” the PCSO asserted in a statement.

The PCSO claimed that the 20 lotto wins Tulfo was referring to were won from PCSO’s minor games.

It stressed that the person Tulfo cited was not necessarily the winner.

“The real issue here therefore is the claimant, and not the number of times that he supposedly won as what Sen. Tulfo seemed to have assumed,” the PCSO pointed out.

“For Digit Games such as 2D, 3D, 4D, and 6D, PCSO lotto outlet agents or representatives of the winners can collect the winnings on their behalf. Since they are just minor prizes, a winner can ask someone he trusts to claim the prize for him through the so-called ‘paki-claim,'” the PCSO explained.

It claimed winners turn to the “paki-claim” scheme due to their lack of valid IDs and the distance of PCSO offices from their homes.

“[S]ome winners would not want to go to their branch office because of added expenses, so the lotto agents would act as Good Samaritans and do it for them,” the PCSO maintained.

(el Amigo/MNM)

MANILA — The year 2024 is fast shaping up to be a banner and record-breaking year for the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) as it continues to register record sales, while also churning out multi-millionaires one after the other to the delight of millions of Filipino bettors.

In a record-setting week since General Manager Mel Robles took the helm in July 2022, the PCSO had managed to produce two multi-millionaires in succession resulting in the charity body giving away some P1.4-B in prizes in just two days.

“Ito naman talaga ang gusto natin. Ang makapagbigay tayo ng kasiyahan sa ating mga mananaya at sa ganoon ay patuloy nilang tangkilikin ang mga laro natin sa PCSO,” GM Robles said.

(This is what we want. To bring hope and joy to our bettors for them to continue patronizing and trusting our games at the PCSO).

He continued: “Habang mas maraming tumataya ay mas marami rin ang matutulungan nating mga kababayan. Ang sabi ko nga sa bawat taya, may kawanggawa.”

(The more people who would patronize our games, the more help and assistance we can render to our countrymen who are in need. As I always say, more bets, equals more charity services.)   

GM Robles stated after a lone winner finally hit the Grand Lotto 6/55 jackpot worth over P698 million on Wednesday night (Jan. 17) with the correct combination of 24-50-52-09-51-03 through E-Lotto.

This is the first major jackpot win secured through the online platform since its launch in early December 2023.

It was the second time in as many days that a lone winner bagged over P600 million in a lotto draw.

On Tuesday, Jan. 16, a bettor won P640,654,817.60 with the combination 26-33-14-48-06-42 in the Super Lotto 6/49 draw.

Meantime, a lone winner won the UltraLotto 6/58 on December 29, or barely three days before New Year which carried a prize of over P571 million, the biggest jackpot in 2023.

To recall, the PCSO on Dec. 16, 2023, raised the minimum guaranteed jackpot of the Grand Lotto 6/55, Ultra Lotto 6/58, and, later on, SuperLotto 6/49 to a whopping P500-million each as part of its ‘Handog Pakabog’ Christmas draws.

Before the New Year, the Agency also raised the jackpot prizes of Lotto 6/42 and MegaLotto 6/45 to P100 million each.

Three bettors hit the 6/42 jackpot on Jan. 02, which carried a prize of over P108 million.

Meantime, the Megalotto 6/45 jackpot worth more than P121.8 million was won on January 8 which was split by two winners.

Record 1-day sales

Aside from giving away huge prizes, the PCSO is also continuing to draw more bettors after it recorded P265 million in one-day sales on Tuesday (January 16).

The amount was the highest recorded one-day sales in over five years or since October 14, 2018, when the prize pot reached P1.18 billion.

(el Amigo/MNM)

MANILA — A lone winner from Albay who bagged the P571-M jackpot prize of the Ultra Lotto 6/58 drawn last Friday (29 Dec 2023), claimed the winnings on Tuesday ( January 2).

The winner who correctly guessed the winning numbers 19-35-25-42-58-05, later declared that PCSO games and draws were authentic.

“Ang masasabi ko lang sa mga nagsasabi na hindi totoo ang mga nanalo sa Lotto ay nagkakamali po kayo,” the bettor said.

“Kailangan niyo tumaya para malaman niyo na totoo ang lotto”.

The new multi-millionaire plans to put the winnings into savings and give a portion to charity.

The winner had been betting regularly on the Scratch It games for the past four years.

But it was only the second time that the winner placed a bet on PCSO lotto draws using a lucky pick betting system.

The bettor confessed that the huge prize offered under “Handog Pakabog”  prompted her to try her luck on the 6/58 lottery.

She claimed the winnings at the PCSO Main Office two days into 2024.

To recall, the PCSO hiked the minimum guaranteed jackpot for the Ultra Lotto 6/58 and Grand Lotto 6/55 to guaranteed P500 million each on December 16, 2023, in line with the agency’s ‘Handog Pakabog’ Christmas draws.

General Manager Melquiades Robles said this is to show the PCSO’s gratitude to lotto patrons during the Yuletide season.

The jackpot prize for 6/55, which is now at P574 million, remains up for grabs.

Under the TRAIN Law, winnings over P10,000 are subject to a 20% tax, which will be automatically deducted from the total prize.

(El Amigo)

MANILA — The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Monday (Dec. 11, 2023) turned over patient transport vehicles (PTVs) to local government units (LGUs) in La Union (2), Pangasinan (5), Isabela (2), Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Batangas (4), Laguna (3), Occidental Mindoro, Sorsogon (3), Iloilo, and Mt. Province.

The turnover ceremony was held at the Wack-Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City.

The PTVs are among the 225 units procured in 2022, which are being turned over to various LGUs in batches.

PCSO General Manager Mel Robles said they aim to complete the vehicle donation by Monday, Dec. 18.

GM Robles added the agency targets to give at least one PTV to each of the nearly 2,000 municipalities in the country.

He disclosed that there are 379 PTV units procured for 2023 and 1,000 more for 2024.

“We assure you this is our solid plan; the pledge of the President nung sinabi niyang dapat dalhin sa mamamayan ang serbisyo,” he explained. “There’s no other way of bringing that (service) than the ambulances that we have.”

“We hope sa pamamagitan nito ay maibaba natin ang serbisyo ng pamahalaan sa lahat ng mamamayan,” GM Robles continued.

Each PTV unit costs around P2.2 million, with basic equipment such as a stretcher, oxygen tank, blood pressure (BP) monitor, and wheelchair for medical emergencies.

Its main purpose is the fast and safe transport of patients to hospitals.

Meantime, GM Robles also shared that the PCSO has doubled its charity fund for 2024, emphasizing the agency’s mandate as the government’s charity arm to help Filipinos in terms of financial, educational, and medical assistance, among others.

The PTV donation is under the PCSO’s Medical Assistance Program.

(ai/mnm)