General Admission
Mangatarem’s 2 lotto winners
By Al S. Mendoza
MANY reacted to my lotto column last week.
Some said, it’s but right to keep the identities of lotto winners to protect them from harm.
“They might get kidnapped, or get killed, for their wealth,” they said.
Some said, yes, they should be identified and introduced to the public.
“That way, we know the lotto in the Philippines is genuine,” said several others.
Still others said, the lotto winners here must also form a club, which they will call, “The Millionaires Lotto Club.”
“Their club should celebrate once a year through a big party, inviting some of their friends and, perhaps, capping the night by offering some money to charity,” they said.
There were too many reactions that printing them all here would steal my whole space for this column.
Suffice it to say that the general sentiment was, the lotto winners here must be identified.
And I agree with that 101 percent.
A lotto winner who hides behind the mountains of pesos he/she had won is constantly living in fear.
He/she might yet become paranoid.
He/she could be always looking at his/her shoulders, fearful of someone suddenly grabbing him/her from behind.
Meaning, it’s not a normal life the lotto winner is living anymore.
To remedy that, he/she should be known publicly as a lotto winner. That way, he/she could smile his/her way into the crowd, mingle with fellow mallers at Rockwell, Gateway, Podium, SMs, Greenbelt, Robinsons, Galleria, Nepo or CSI.
Look, in my beloved hometown of Mangatarem, we have produced two lotto winners already.
Both won their fortune in the lotto of America.
Both men came home to re-establish their residence in Mangatarem.
They were both from the barrios and becoming instant millionaires produced a multitude of relatives for them which, to their credit, they didn’t mind at all.
They became instant darlings of my hometown because, aside from their being extra generous, they were friendly, humble and easy to get along with.
No, despite their wealth and fame, not once did they throw their weight around.
They’ve bought properties in Manila, Makati, Tagaytay and Baguio.
So huge are their investments/properties that they could each live five lifetimes and yet, their wealth could still cascade down to their grand children.
They own flashy cars, built mansions in their respective barrios.
One virtually spent a fortune in supporting a candidate in the last elections. His bet lost, but he took it in stride.
In short, our lotto winners in America are like the ordinary people in my hometown-ordinary in the sense that they’re not being treated like kings or members of royalty, or even like the residents of Forbes Park.
Nobody has ever heard of rumors about some bad guys planning to abduct them and next hearing them asking for ransom.
Why can’t our government do the same-allow the lotto winners here to be introduced to our people?
As I said, by continuing to hide the identities of our lotto winners, the government is blatantly admitting that, indeed, there is no peace and order in this country.
No wonder disappearances among the ranks of student activists and militant farmers still pervade in our midst-21 years after martial law had been dismantled.
(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/general-admission/)
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