The winning numbers on the Grand Lotto 6/55's Oct. 1 draw that yielded 433 jackpot winners were “not lucky picked,” said Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Mel Robles.
"Pag check natin initially meron, pero kinorek ako kahapon wala raw pong lucky pick na result d’yan. ‘Yan daw po ay mano-mano (When I initially checked there was, but I was corrected yesterday and was told that there was no lucky picked result and that the numbers were manually chosen)," Robles said in a briefing on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
He also said that 103 winners have already claimed their winnings as of the moment.
From the P236,091,188 jackpot, each winner received at least P400,000 with tax already deducted.
All lotto prizes exceeding P10,000 are subject to 20 percent tax pursuant to the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law.
The PCSO general manager also said that there were really players who keep on betting numbers divisible by 2,3,4,5,6, and 9, and some have even tried their luck on the combinations 1-2-3-4-5-6.
He added that there was no science or logic on choosing the lucky numbers.
“Mas maganda pang kunan ng tip ‘yung panaginip (It is better to get a tip from dreams)," he said.
He reiterated that the PCSO is welcome to any form of investigation to prove the agency's truthfulness and integrity as well as to put the public's doubt at rest.
Also, the speculation about this matter is “baseless” especially after PCSO has released the location of 433 winners.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Sunday, sought for an investigation regarding the "suspicious" Grand Lotto winning numbers.