VALENCIA CITY, BUKIDNON – Life had always been about hard work and survival for 38-year-old Mae, a fast-food service crew member. Earning minimum wage at a popular fast-food chain, she spent her days serving meals with a smile, often on her feet for long shifts.
However, her fate changed on a rather dull June weekend when a routine purchase of a Scratchit ticket earned her the P200,000 jackpot.
A small indulgence, a big dream
Mae—a resident of Laligan, Valencia City, in Bukidnon—always played ScratchIt tickets as a small escape from the daily grind.
“It’s just something I do for fun whenever I pass by a lottery outlet,” she shared.
“I checked it over and over,” she recalled. “I even pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming!”
On June 26, she stopped by a ticket booth near Alkuino Emporium, just three kilometers from her workplace. She handed over her hard-earned pesos, not expecting much—just the usual fleeting hope that maybe luck would be on her side this time.
Mae knew the odds were slim. She had never won before, not even the smallest prizes. But that didn’t stop her from trying. “I figured, if I never play, I’ll never win,” she said with a laugh.
The Moment of Disbelief
As she scratched off the ticket, her heart raced after realizing she had won. Not just a small amount, but P200,000. At first, she thought it was a mistake. “I checked it over and over,” she recalled. “I even pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming!”
As the initial shock wore off, excitement took over. For someone who had spent years stretching every peso to make ends meet, this windfall was nothing short of a miracle.
Mae’s first priority? Building a house for her family. “We’ve always lived in a small, cramped space,” she explained.
“This money won’t solve everything, but it’s a huge help,” she said.
A message to fellow dreamers
To others who play ScratchIt or any lottery game, she has a simple yet encouraging message: “Maglaro lang ng maglaro, baka swertehin din kayo (Just keep playing—you might get lucky, too).”
For Mae, a woman who spent years serving others, the stroke of luck was life’s way of giving something back.
