PCSO admits viral photo of lotto winner edited: 'We have to protect the identity of the winner'
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) confirmed that the photo of the lone bettor who won the P43.9 million jackpot was edited.
A day after the photo of the winner receiving the check went viral, General Manager Melquiades Robles confirmed that it was indeed altered, noting that it was done for security purposes.
Social media users pointed out that the texture and lighting of the bettor's body were different compared to the person beside her, PCSO Assistant General Manager Julieta Aseo. The winner's long skirt also had noticeable dark blue outlines.
Robles said that some winners complained about being recognized by their neighbors for their outfits.
"We have to protect the identity of the winner. Meron pong nagreklamo sa amin one time; we covered the face, eh ‘yong damit naman po ay nakilala. So nagreklamo siya, sana naman daw po ‘wag ipakita ‘yong damit, so ‘yan po ang reason niyan," he told Senator Raffy Tulfo during the Senate ways and means subcommittee hearing on Thursday, Jan. 18
"I agree that is very poor editing, pero the objective is to conceal the clothing na ma-identify sakanya,” Robles continued.
Robles apologized and set the record straight, saying the person in the photo is real.
“If there’s something we apologize for, it’s the poor editing. But it serves the purpose of concealing the identity. We’re sorry we’re not very good at editing the clothes."
"Tunay na tao po 'yan," he asserted.
Tulfo said he wants the identity of this person and the winner of the P690 million lotto to be revealed during an executive session.
"Kasi nga po, may clamor na malaman yung katotohanan," Tulfo said. "Maraming nagsasabi na yung nanalo ng P690 million hindi raw legit na mananaya kundi galing sa tropa niyo na nag-invest ng P30 million para nga makuha itong P690 million. Para maalis na po yang haka haka na yan, gusto po naming makita kung talagang totoong tao iyon."
The bettor in question took home the P43,882,361.60 jackpot for the lotto on Dec. 28, 2023.
The 47-year-old housewife from San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan correctly guessed the winning numbers, 18-34-01-11-28-04. She had used her family’s birthdates and two other special numbers, 28 and 34, which she said often represent a car and a house respectively.
She told the agency that she plans to use her winnings to invest in business, buy a new home, and deposit the rest into her two children’s savings accounts.
As of writing, the post earned more than 62,000 reactions, 11,000 comments, and 54,000 shares.
