PCSO assures lawmakers Lotto winners are 'real', legitimate
At A Glance
- The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has reassured members of House of Representatives on Tuesday, Jan. 23, that winners of its lottery games are indeed legitimate.
The viral photo of the Bulacan bettor claiming the P43 million Lotto 6/42 jackpot (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s Facebook page)
The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has reassured members of House of Representatives on Tuesday, Jan. 23, that winners of its lottery games are indeed legitimate.
“What can I assure this committee is that the winners are real because personally I have given cheques to some of the winners, so karamihan po talaga sa kanila (most of them) their main concern is their security,” a PCSO representative, lawyer Katrina Contacto told the lawmakers.
The assurance came after the PCSO released the photo of a bettor from San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan who was purportedly claiming the P43-million Lotto 6/42 jackpot.
The photo quickly became viral, garnering over 79,000 reactions and 60,000 shares, after netizens pointed out that it was obviously edited.
PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles has already confirmed that the photo was purposely edited because the agency wanted to protect the identity of the winner.
When asked by Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda why they posted the photo, the PCSO representative said that they will review their practice of posting the photos of the winners.
“But rest assured, the winners are legitimate. I held talks with some of them, they are real people,” Contacto noted.
With regard to the viral photo, the PCSO explained that they changed the person’s clothes “out of security reasons”.
Salceda led the joint committee hearing as chairperson of the Committee on Ways and Means. The Committee on Senior Citizens and on Persons with Disabilities also participated in the moto proprio inquiry.