Indeed the case filed against the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office by a Mr. Carlito Mirando, Jr. who claimed to have won the lotto jackpot of P120 million way back on the 9th of March 1996 was a scam.

“In a 21-page decision, the Court of Appeals upheld the April 27, 2007 decision by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court which found Carlito Mirando’s claim lacking in legal and factual basis.”

While it happened during my chairmanship of the PCSO (1994-1998), in cases of claims from lotto winners, the PCSO chairman has absolutely no role in the verification of the authenticity of the winning tickets, except to hand over the check to the holder of the winning ticket after proper verification and authentication by the MCC check system.

For lotto jackpot winners, many departments are involved -- Legal, Accounting, Internal Audit, and the Commission on Audit through its resident auditor posted in the PCSO.  But foremost, after due certification of authenticity from those manning the Main Computer Center.

Nobody can fool around with the main computer as it guarantees the true winning tickets. Nobody can tamper with the machine, for any attempt, a mere attempt, to tinker with the machines, the main computer will reject.  The lotto system we are using in the Philippines is the same  system used worldwide.

The lotto tickets are printed on security paper with all the security features in it such as bar code containing everything printed on the tickets visible to the eye.

At the start of the lotto in 1995, we suffered from many attempts from fake claimants pretending to be winners by tampering with the numbers on the tickets, not knowing that said numbers are also contained in the bar code, including the time and the date the lotto ticket was purchased.  There were those na tinatayaan the day after ‘yong combination na nanalo the night before then claim that the lotto machine made the mistake.

I experienced a pattern from fake claimants doctoring a number, if not the date. It hurts them to lose because of only one number; or for betting the day after sa alaga nilang numero.  Masakit po naman talaga na on the day the combination na inalagaan nila for weeks and months ay lumabas sa araw pa naman na hindi nila natayaan. It must drive them crazy kung bakit nakalimutang bumili ng ticket on that particular day.

If I recall correctly, said Mr. Carlito Mirando, Jr. who is a fisherman somewhere in Bicol or Masbate (or a coco lumber agent), claimed that he placed his bet at the lotto outlet in the Act Theater in Cubao. But it’s the Zenco Footsteps in Libertad St. in Pasay City ang tunay na nagpatama.

I do not remember anymore why Mr. Mirando’s ticket was rejected by the Main Computer. I believe it was the time printed on the ticket when Mirando placed the bet that was in question. I believe it was the time and date ang pinagtalunan because the winning combination fell on another time and date.

Mr. Mirando claimed he placed his bet shortly before closing time the night of March 9, 1996, shortly before the lotto outlet closed and the televised draw at 9 p.m., the night the draw was conducted. But the Main Computer System disproved that.

All the heads of PCSO departments (including the CoA and Legal) reported to me when the claimant Mirando was attempting to collect the jackpot prize of P120 million four days after the draw.

That he claimed that the lotto machine in the lotto outlet sa Act Theater flashed the words: “Congratulations, you won the jackpot” is pang believe it or not.  All I know, the PCSO Legal Department conducted a very thorough investigation, and I had no role in that at all. Pero as head of the agency, ako ang nademanda.  Looking back, baka sa loob ng Act Theater nakita niya ang “Congatulations” on the screen!

Ang daming cases like Mirando’s sa pag-umpisa ng lotto noong 1995 on to 1997, one attempt after another; and they all fell on my lap.  Akala nila ordinary paper lang ang lotto tickets, failing to realize despite our repeated info campaign in the media na tamper-proof ang lotto tickets. But hecklers continued.  None of them succeeded and eventually said attempts waned.

The lotto really went through a lot of birth pains before it quieted down.  As I recall, there was a group of people (possibly a syndicate) behind Mr.  Mirando, pushing him to continue fighting for the prize.

It took all these years (from March 9, 1996 to the present) to end the case.  That’s 16 years sa korte!  Kawawa ang PCSO Legal Department all those years, attending to hearings in the courts.  Pero tama po ang naging desisyon ng Quezon City Regional Trial Court at ang desisyon ng Court of Appeals.  Salamat po sa inyo; at salamat po sa Diyos at natapos na.

Wala po akong kasalanan diyan, but my name was dragged in the media for years as if I was part of the investigation.  Hindi po.  Nasa kamay po ‘yan ng Legal, Accounting, Internal Audit, and other departments, including the CoA and the Lotto Central Office that mans the Main Computer Center.

As PCSO chairman, ako’y taga-abot lang po ng tseke to the winner in front of the representatives from the CoA and the heads or representatives of the different PCSO departments present. Never did I ever give a check to a winner alone.  I always made it a point to do so in the presence of witnesses – for the record. Kasi may nagsasabi na may nag o-offer daw ng balato after I left the PCSO in 1998.

Bawal po ilabas sa media ang identity of the jackpot winners. That’s extremely prohibited by law for the protection of the new, instant millionaires for security reasons.  At hindi rin po dapat to give a very detailed background of the jackpot winners, making it easy to trace them.

I advise the new PCSO management not to glamorize or sensationalize the winners’ background, town, city or country.  Maraming matatalino sa kalokohan sa mundo ngayon!

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