The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Friday, January 19, clapped back to those who criticized the viral photo of a winning bettor, saying it was edited to protect her identity.
“We have to show proof sa mga tao na may nanalo and at the same time, we have to protect the identity. Ganoon ang balance na ginagawa namin,” PCSO General Manager Mel Robles told DZRH in an interview.
Mel Robles, General Manager, PCSO, sa pag-publicize ng winners sa lotto: We have to show proof sa mga tao na may nanalo and at the same time, we have to protect the identity. Ganoon ang balance na ginagawa namin.#DosPorDos#SamaSamaTayoPilipino
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) January 18, 2024
LIVE:https://t.co/tDfmiAaidP pic.twitter.com/9edp6CuKxU
Robles recently admitted that the “lucky bettor’s” photo showing her receiving the P43.8 million jackpot prize was edited. The PCSO chief shared that it was strictly for privacy reasons but claimed to have shown an unedited version to the Commission on Audit (COA).
“Of course, sa amin ay pini-picture-an namin nang walang maskara, kinukuha ang pangalan. Pero dahil sa privacy issues, sa batas ng privacy, we have to keep that. Pero sa amin lang 'yon, para sa COA,” he added.
Robles said that the photo was taken last year but was only posted this week to prevent people from figuring out the winner’s identity.
“Yan ay ginawa noong December 28. Hindi mo naman ipo-post agad sapagkat ganoon din, pwedeng magsabi ang mga tao, ‘Ay ito kaninong suot yan.’ Kaya late posting 'yan, hindi real-time pino-post,” he said.
When asked what details were edited in the photo, Robles maintained that only the person’s skirt was changed, denying the edited photos that have been posted by netizens.
“Yung palda ang binago. Marami nang ginawang kung ano-ano yung mga tao pero hindi naman 'yon ang aming ginawa, yung palda lang ang binago. I don't think na binago ang buhok,” he said.
Robles remained firm on the agency’s objective to hide the bettor’s identity, rejecting qualms that the edited photo meant having no winner.
“Ang objective dito, hindi pwedeng ipakilala ang tao at malaman lahat [...] Hindi ko alam biglang pag-edit ng buhok, ibig sabihin wala nang nananalo, ang layo naman yata noon,” the PCSO chief said.
“It is not a logical conclusion, binago nga namin tinakpan namin tapos walang nananalo. Ganito na ba ka-bobo ang mga tao ngayon? [...] Di ko rin alam kung ano ang big deal. Totoo na edited pero hindi ibig sabihin na edited, walang nanalo. Ibang-iba na yata 'yon,” he added.
