Life won't be easy for lotto winner, says bishop

A Catholic bishop said life will not be easy for whoever would win the lotto draw of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), with the jackpot now at P383 million. "Kung ikaw nanalo, mahirapan yan. Mag-iiba ang buhay, di malaman kung sino ang bibigyan, di malaman kung sino ang tatanggihan, di malaman kung saan itatago ang pera. Hindi madali yan," retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said in an interview on dwIZ radio. (If you win, prepare for radical changes in your life. Your life will change. You will not know how to spend the money, who to share it with, who not to share it with, and where to invest or hide your money. It is not easy.) In past weeks, many Filipinos lined up at lotto betting outlets to get a shot at hitting the jackpot. As of Wednesday night, still no one won the Grand Lotto jackpot of P383,405,234.40. Cruz said anyone who wins such a big amount will have a headache on how to handle the money. "Ang manalo niyan kung meron man e kawawa po (The winner of such a jackpot)," he added. Meanwhile, Cruz criticized the government officials who publicly admitted they have placed bets for the lotto draw. The bishop said the senators may be sending a wrong message to the people to rely on blind luck instead of hard work. "Hindi ko sinasabing kasalanan yan. Ang sabi ko lang, masyado silang mataas ang kalagayan para bumaba nang ganoon (I am not saying it is a sin. All I am saying is that they are in high positions and they did not need to go that low)," he said. The 6/55 Grand Lotto Draw has not had a winner for almost six months now since it was first drawn on May 15, 2010. It started with a minimum jackpot prize of P30 million. – VVP, GMANews.TV