Camera effect or edit? Online users question picture of Bulacan bettor who won P43 million lotto
The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has announced the winner of the Lotto 6/42 jackpot, but the good news was mired with controversy after some social media users began to question the winner's "edited" picture.
In an announcement made on their Facebook account, the PCSO stated that a bettor from San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan will be taking home the much-coveted jackpot worth P43,882,361.60 for the lotto on Dec. 28, 2023.
The victory comes after she 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.
The PCSO accompanied the announcement with a picture of the winning ticket as well as a picture of the bettor receiving the check from Assistant General Manager Julieta Aseo.
However, many online users have begun to assert that the government corporation had edited the bettor into the picture after they noticed how she looks in the photo, with the texture and lighting of her body being different as compared to Aseo. Her long skirt also has noticeable dark blue outlines.
"May kilala po ako, P3,000 lang! Malinis mag-edit," one user wrote.
"Sana ginamit 'yung napalanunan para mas maganda edit," another one joked.
However, others came to its defense, "Edited yan syempre, para sa safety din nung winner."
The PCSO has yet to address whether the Bulacan bettor was indeed edited to be put in the picture, which has since received over 50,000 reactions, 6,000 comments, and 15,000 shares as of writing.
In claiming lotto prizes, winners must sign the back of the winning ticket, provide two valid government IDs for verification, and adhere to the 20 percent tax on prizes exceeding P10,000.00 under the TRAIN Law.
