Death dates bring P9-M lotto prize to family driver

MANILA, Philippines - By combining the death anniversaries of his loved ones, a 53-year-old family driver from Valenzuela City won the P9 million jackpot of the 6/45 Mega Lotto’s Dec. 8 draw, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) said yesterday.

“ The winner got his winning combination from the death anniversaries of his parents, aunt and son,” PCSO acting chairman Jose Ferdinand Rojas II said. The six-digit winning combination for the draw was 17-13-27-08-28-09.

Rojas quoted the winner as saying that he would always remember his departed loved ones, so “I bet on their death anniversaries. Maybe they helped me win the jackpot.”

He said the winner is married with three children and has been a lotto player for the last 15 years. The family driver plans to buy a house and lot, invest in a transportation business and save the rest of the money.