The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has verified that the image featuring the lone winner of the P43.9 million jackpot was manipulated. General Manager Melquiades Robles confirmed the alteration a day after the photo, depicting the recipient receiving the prize check, gained widespread attention. Robles explained that the editing was done for security reasons.

Observant social media users noted disparities in texture and lighting on the winner’s body compared to the person beside her, PCSO Assistant General Manager Julieta Aseo. Additionally, the winner’s long skirt displayed noticeable dark blue outlines. Robles revealed that some past winners had complained about being recognized by their neighbors based on their outfits.

“We have to protect the identity of the winner. Meron pong nagreklamo sa amin one time; we covered the face, eh ‘yong damit naman po ay nakilala. So nagreklamo siya, sana naman daw po ‘wag ipakita ‘yong damit, so ‘yan po ang reason niyan,” he told Senator Raffy Tulfo during the Senate ways and means subcommittee hearing on Thursday, Jan. 18
“I agree that is very poor editing, pero the objective is to conceal the clothing na ma-identify sakanya,” Robles continued.

During a Senate ways and means subcommittee hearing, Robles acknowledged the poor quality of the editing but emphasized that the main goal was to safeguard the winner’s identity. He apologized for the subpar editing skills and clarified that the person in the photo is genuine.

Check this photo for your reference.

“If there’s something we apologize for, it’s the poor editing. But it serves the purpose of concealing the identity. We’re sorry we’re not very good at editing the clothes.”
“Tunay na tao po ‘yan,” he asserted.

Responding to calls for transparency, Senator Raffy Tulfo expressed a desire to reveal the identities of both the P43.9 million winner and the P690 million lotto winner in an executive session. Tulfo emphasized the need to address rumors surrounding the legitimacy of the P690 million winner, suggesting alleged ties to a group that invested P30 million.

The P43,882,361.60 jackpot, won on December 28, 2023, went to a 47-year-old housewife from San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. She correctly guessed the winning numbers using her family’s birthdates and two special numbers, 28 and 34, symbolizing a car and a house. The winner plans to invest in business, purchase a new home, and deposit the remaining amount into her children’s savings accounts.

The post about her victory has garnered over 62,000 reactions, 11,000 comments, and 54,000 shares as of the latest update.