Teacher misses chance to bet and win P495-M pot

By Christian V. Esguerra, Miko Morelos Philippine Daily Inquirer Filed Under: Humor and Satire, Customs & Traditions, People,Awards and Prizes Most Read MANILA, Philippines—For one luckless bettor, the dreams of instant fortune were borne of extreme need and last Wednesday he came tantalizingly close to getting his desire. “Alfredo,” a 41-year-old schoolteacher, needs money for his ailing 73-year-old mother just out of hospital. His 1-year-old son remains confined. Alfredo had been religiously placing bets since the Grand Lotto jackpot breached the P100-million mark not so long ago, always betting his most cherished combination of six numbers—53-09-45-24-50-29. But on the day that mattered, the Caloocan Elementary School teacher lost track of the time and missed making the bet. His combination of numbers came out last Wednesday, when the jackpot stood at the then record P495.6 million. He would have been the lone winner. The pot for the Grand Lotto shot to a new record high by late afternoon Friday, hitting the half-billion peso mark, according to Liza Gabuyo, assistant general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office(PCSO), which supervises the popular game of chance. “It hit P507 million as of four in the afternoon,” Gabuyo said in a phone interview. “This is the biggest pot in history,” said the PCSO official. The figure is expected to reach around P535 million Saturday as more punters rush to the lotto outlets with their bets before the 8.30 p.m. closing. The previous record was in February 2009, when the jackpot for the 6/49 Super Lotto game reached P347 million. Two lucky bettors won the draw and split the pot. In between the Grand Lotto draws, the pot increases in increments of around P30 million, Gabuyo explained. The newly introduced version of the lotto holds draws every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 9 p.m. Alfredo admitted to standing frozen in disbelief when he learned about the winning combination. But he said he quickly came to terms with the frustrating loss. “At first, I asked, ‘Lord, why did it have to happen that way?’” he said. “But I would like to think that God probably just didn’t want me to hit the jackpot yet because he’s preparing [me for] something bigger,” he said philosophically. He asked that his real name not be used because as a “born-again” Christian, he is a bit shamefaced at indulging in a pastime that the establishment Church denigrates. In any case, Alfredo’s denomination is not bound by Catholic strictures. Like many bettors, Alfredo thinks there is nothing wrong with trying his luck—especially if the pot hits, as expected, P535 million in Saturday night’s draw. But Alfredo doesn’t really regret the reason for the oversight that made him miss the chance of a lifetime. He had spent the afternoon of the fateful draw coaching his pupils for an upcoming inter-school journalism contest. Ironically, one of the writing exercises he had given thestudents was about lotto. He figured the topic would come out in the contest proper because everyone was agog about the huge jackpot prize. So eager was he to make winners out of his pupils that he brought his team for the writing exercise to his child’s hospital room in Caloocan. In the process, he lost track of the time and the chance to become an instant multi-millionaire. “We were all engrossed in the exercise that I realized it was already 10 minutes to 8 (p.m.),” he recalled. “I tried to look for a lotto outlet but it was too late.” The next day, his 23-year-old sister called him about checking the winning combination in the computer. She had often placed the bet for him, but for that Wednesday draw, he told her he would do it himself. “Kuya, these are your numbers—you’ve won!” the sister, staring at the computer monitor, told him excitedly. But euphoria quickly turned into painful disbelief when he told her the bad news. “Perhaps, it’s not God’s will that I win it yet so I have no regrets,” he said. Alfredo is also mindful of how instant fortune can become “more of a curse than a blessing.” “I don’t like the idea of money controlling people instead of people controlling money,” he said. Despite his rotten luck, he said he is still a betting man and will continue to try his luck in the next draws. “If I finally win, I would not let even my family know about it. I would still keep the simple lifestyle I have now, one that sees me patronizing the congee stalls (lugawan) on the streets,” he said. Thinking twice about picking six numbers between 1 and 55, and casting your lot with millions of others hoping for a lucky 1-in-29-million shot at the Grand Lotto? You have until 8:30 p.m. Saturday to choose the series of combinations that could determine the rest of your life. When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.