2 OFWs win P1.94M each in UAE raffle draw on September 4

By JOJO DASS DUBAI, United Arab Emirates —Two overseas Filipino workers have each won AED142,857 (P1.94 million) in the latest raffle draw where participants need only to buy a AED35 bottled water for a chance to win. Jovan (not his real name), a 32-year-old logistics coordinator at a medical supplies company who hails from Pampanga, said he will use the money to build their own house back in the Philippines and as well send her mother home for good. “Yan ang plano ko talaga,” Jovan told GMA News Online. “Makakapag-for good na rin si mama,” he added. For good, is a common phrase among OFWs, meaning someone is finally going home to the Philippines and permanently settle there. Jovan said his mother has been in Dubai for 22 years. He said he was six years old when she left to work abroad. “Building my own home in my country is almost impossible with my current salary. Thanks to this prize money, my mother and I can have our own home soon,"Jovan said. According to him, he arrived in Dubai in February of 2013 where he landed a job as a receiving clerk at a big grocery store. After two years, he moved to a holding company engaged in property development where he worked as procurement officer. He lost that job in December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was fortunate to get a new job – his current one – a month later in January this year. Jovan said he has been regularly participating in the regular raffle draw organized by Mahzooz, an Arabic word for “fortunate” or “lucky.” He said he had won small amounts in the past. “Balik-taya lang. Three digits lang nakuha then panalo ako ng AED35 lang,” he said. On the other hand, "Jep", the other OFW winner, said he will share half of the prize with another friend who also entered a number combination. “May usapan po kami. Dalawa kaming tumaya, kung sino ang manalo, ihahati yung premyo sa natalo.” Jeph, who has been in Dubai for seven years working as a technician, said he will use the money to buy a secondhand car he can use for work. Jovan and Jeph were the 10th and 11th OFWs to have won big at the raffle draw in a span of four months since May this year. Past OFW winners Four OFWs won last month. Three of them got AED250,000 each (P 3.44M) – and one got AED333,333 ( P4.54M). The one who won P4.54 million hails from Batangas and has been in Dubai since 2004. He said he’ll clean off his debts and invest his money back home. The other three winners of P3.44 million each are: a 26-year-old customer service executive at an air cargo company; a 51-year-old civil engineer who has been in Dubai for the past 14 years, who said he will use the money to run a small business in the Philippines upon retirement; and a 45-year-old engineer who said he betted with others who will get equal shares of the prize money. In June, two OFWs won AED1 million each. One is an Abu Dhabi bakeshop van delivery driver, and the other is a 33-year-old gym sales associate who has been in Dubai for three years. Participants to the raffle draw need only register via www.mahzooz.ae to be able to purchase bottled water for AED35 to enter a number combination. The sale of the bottled water is donated to community outreach programs. Jovan and Jeph were among seven winners of the draw held on September 4, 2021. They shared the AED1 million prize. —LBG, GMA News

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