The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) committed an almost unforgivable error in timing and common sense in using Photoshop to alter the clothes of a woman who allegedly won the lotto in a photo officially released to media by the agency.
Timing mistake because malicious critics of the PCSO, the lotto, General Manager Mel Robles and even First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos have lately been disparaging the lotto, accusing both Robles and Mrs. Marcos, their friend Thinking Pinoy (TP) and others in their camp, of lining their pockets thru surrogate winners.
US-based Maharlika, who is popular on YouTube and other social media platforms, has been spreading the lie against Robles, Araneta-Marcos and TP, and has urged her followers among OFWs not to patronize the lotto, saying "sila-sila lang ang nananalo d'yan."
At a time when the PCSO needed to improve its image and bolster its credibility with its customers, the release in media of a badly edited photo of a lotto winner further exacerbated the doubts cast on the lotto.The visual discrepancies are so obvious that netizens and even mainstream media immediately pointed them out, and there is nothing more to do for the PCSO to admit the faux pas before a Senate committee.
PCSO General Manager Robles has confirmed that the viral photo it posted of a lone bettor who won the jackpot prize of the Lotto 6/42 draw was edited to conceal the person’s identity.
Speaking at a hearing by the Senate ways and means panel on Thursday, the PCSO clarified that the image was altered to hide the clothes worn by the winner when she claimed her prize. The photo, which was posted on PCSO’s official social media channels, has since gone viral, with social media habitues poking fun at the seemingly unrealistic image of the person.
GM Robles said that one previous Lotto winner had complained that they were identified in the PCSO’s photos because of their clothes. “One time, we covered the face, but they were identified through their clothes. The winner then complained to us,” Robles said.
“I agree it’s very poor editing, but the objective is to conceal the clothing that will identify them,” Robles added.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo then asked why it was not enough to simply cover the person’s face.
“For example, what if on that day, their neighbor would notice their clothes? One winner previously complained that they wore their favorite clothes. It’s for the purpose of concealing identity,” Robles said.
The PCSO official added “If there’s something to apologize for it’s the editing. We’re not very good at editing the clothes.”Robles assured the senator that the winner was a real person, and in fact, all winners in the lotto draws are legitimate bettors.
“There is a clamor to know the truth because many are saying that the person who won the P690 million was not a legit bettor but instead the friend of a person who invested P30 million to win that P690 million,” Tulfo said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The senator also asked Robles to reveal the identity of the bettor during an executive session – a closed-door meeting used by lawmakers to discuss sensitive issues necessary to be kept from the public.
The bettor in question won the lotto that was drawn on Dec. 28, 2023, earning a prize of P43 million.
The PCSO said that the winner is a 47-year-old housewife who correctly guessed the winning numbers 18-34-01-11-28-04.
The lesson here is this:do not edit photos if you don't know how.
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