Woman finds winning ticket in old shoulder bag

MANILA, Philippines - For six months, a 39-year-old single mother had been carrying a winning lotto ticket in her worn-out shoulder bag, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) said yesterday.

The woman was about to give away her bag to a friend when she found a ticket for the 6/45 Mega Lotto’s May 13 draw, bought at a mall in Davao City, in a secret pocket of her bag, according to PCSO general manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II.

The woman claimed P5.9 million, her share of the P17.8 million prize she won along with two other players, at the PCSO’s main office yesterday. She told Rojas she was unaware she won the jackpot until she brought the ticket to a lotto outlet for validation.  

Rojas told the winner that the ticket would expire in one year and the prize would revert to the agency’s charity fund.

She said she got the winning combination from the birthdates of her three children and she had been betting on this combination for the past several years.

The woman plans to expand her mobile phone accessories business and save for her children’s future.