By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
A friend of mine who is working abroad just got his dream car. A Ford Raptor pick up. And it came on his birth day the other day. He deserved it after working away from home for two decades straight. God, indeed, rewards in mysterious ways.
His younger brother went to pick up the car along with a driver. They just arrived. They sent a picture of it last night. It was gleaming white in the dark. Its high hood and menacing face (grill) looked really menacing, ready to make minced meat of any prey. A raptor indeed it is. That model was set up to take on any challenging off road terrain.
How did he pay for the car worth millions? He won it in a raffle. A peddler of raffle tickets from the Filipino community for a car raffle in the Philippines offered him six leftover tickets. He paid 9k for the bunch. Then on his birth day, the good news came by phone.
For somebody like me who does not go for lotto, sweepstakes, jueteng or any other games of chance, it was pleasantly surprising. Really!!!! Yes, it was for real. Are there papers? Everything was in order. Deed of sale, registration, etc.
So he and his family were in a celebratory mood last night.
But back to reality. Should we hitch our future on games of chance? The answer is definitely a big fat NO! I would rather see everyone I know surviving by their sweat, tears and blood. Or if you are a lawyer, by frequently burning the midnight oil which could even singe your brow. .
The hard way is the enduring way. While so many dream of an easy life, it is not good for you. Your mental capacity will deteriorate, even you body. In short, it will result in your movement to the opposite direction, or contrary to progress.
If you have to bet on a game of chance, do it for fun. At least you will not feel bad if you don’t win. And don’t break your bank account if only to place a bet. Don’t misuse for that your family’s budget for medicines and other necessities because, chances are, you will not win.
Don’t believe some stupid laborers who say that it is better to take care of a number for jueteng instead of tending a garden or feeding or caring for some piglets to be sold later. Such kind of thinking is only for losers. Sorry.
We had a visitor in the office the other day about an acquaintance whose family was suddenly able to put up a four-story apartment building. All the neighbors were surprised. They asked family members how they were able to accomplish that but they were mum about it. To ferret out the truth, one guy invited the head of the family for a drinking spree and the truth got revealed. They won P10M from the lotto.
Still I would not advise buying lotto tickets instead of rice or other foods. And since there are so many raffle tickets being sold around, at the very least, you should conduct some due diligence before buying their tickets. Otherwise, you just might be falling into a racket.**
