TACLOBAN CITY – A radio station in Borongan City, Eastern Samar has been barraged with calls from listeners, asking for a “balato” or share from one of the two winners of the biggest lotto jackpot prize.
“There were text messages from our listeners, asking for a balato from the winner and there is a joke going around in the city that if one would be ‘unfriended,’ it could have been initiated by the winner,” said Penelope Pomeda, reporter of Radyo dyES.
But she said the people of Borongan were all happy that one of the winners came from their city since the lucky lotto bettor was expected to invest some of the prize money in Borongan by putting up a business.
An official of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), who asked not to be identified, said they were all “ecstatic” when they learned that one of the winners was from Borongan.
“For one, it would help boost the ticket sales of the lotto outlet where the winner bought his ticket. Second, it is just wonderful to know that the winner is from Borongan City,” the PCSO official said.
The lucky bettor bought his ticket from an outlet outside the city proper of Borongan which had been suffering from slow ticket sales, especially after the price of each lotto ticket went up from P20 to P24.
The outlet stands to receive at least P400,000 in commission.