Pinoy financial analyst in Dubai wins AED100,000 in draw, will use prize for debts, stocks

DUBAI - A Filipino financial analyst was among the latest batch to win in the weekly Mahzooz draw here, bagging AED100,000 or P1.44 million, part of which, he said, will be invested in stocks back home.

Forty-four-year old Norman Vitto, who arrived in the city four years ago, said he was overwhelmed with joy upon being informed that he has won. “I praise God because this is His blessing and it came at a perfect time,” said Vitto, an accountant, who works at Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZ).

Vitto, who hails from Silang, Cavite lives with his wife, a homemaker with a passion for the stock market, and their six-year-old son.

The family man who also supports his mother in the Philippines, said:  “I have several loans and pending credit card payments, and this amount is a welcome respite. I am relieved that it’s gone the way it has – I thank Mahzooz for changing my life.”

The rest of the money, Vitto said, will be put in the stock market back home through his stocks-savvy wife who, according to him, has been investing in the Philippine Stock Exchange since 2020.

Vitto won along with two others expats – both Indian nationals – who also bagged AED100,000 each.

Last month, seven overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) also won big in the weekly draw – two won AED100,000 and the other five got AED55,555 each or the equivalent of P800,000.

Over 20 Filipinos have won large amounts at the Mahzooz draw in the past few years, with at least two – an Abu Dhabi bakery delivery van driver and a Dubai gym sales associate – having each won AED1 million or over P13 million at the time.

Participants need only to register online and purchase a bottle of water for AED 35 to join the weekly draw and grand raffle. The bottles that are purchased are donated to those in need through Mahzooz’s community partners. —KG, GMA News