Pinoy driver in Abu Dhabi wins P13M in raffle draw

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Filipino bakeshop delivery van driver in Abu Dhabi has won AED1 million, or roughly P13 million, at a raffle draw – money that, he said, will cover a lot of expenses, including paying off debts so he can finally go home for a break and a dream wedding.

“Masayang-masaya. Hindi po ako nakatulog. Tumaas pa ang blood pressure ko [I'm so happy, I couldn't sleep, my blood pressure has shot up],” said “Roland” in an interview with GMA News Online.

Roland, who hails from Pangasinan, said his live-in partner of three years was as
well ecstatic. “Number combination nya kasi yun [That was her number combination],” he said, referring to the winning combination.

Roland, 38, who has been in the UAE for the past 10 years, said topping his expenditure list is the transfer of their family’s land title from their grandparents to his mother.

Also high in Roland’s to-do list is a dream wedding for his partner. He said he will also consider business ventures like a condo unit, but hinted he’d be more inclined to go farming and manage a fishery.

“Mabilis maubos ang pera. Nagtitingin-tingin ako ng mabi-business kung sakaling mag-for good na [Money can be gone quickly, so I'm considering setting up a business so that I can go home for good],” he said.

“For good” is a common term among OFWs in UAE, which means returning home without intent to work abroad again.

Roland said he already has savings for his two kids that he has from his first love
affair, the eldest being 16 years old, the youngest, 10. His partner, a widow, has a child. 

And, as there’s no place like home, as the cliché goes,  Roland said he plans to clear all his debts so he can visit the Philippines again.

“Ang dami kong mga utang sa mga kaibigan at kamag-anak sa Pilipinas. Kaya hindi ako makauwi kasi hindi makabayad. Ngayon uumpisahan ko na silang bayaran,” Roland said.

(I have so many outstanding debts in the Philippines, and it's why I can't go home. Now I can start paying them.)

Roland is the second OFW to recently win in the raffle draw held by Mahzooz, the only weekly live draw in the region that offers players a life-changing opportunity.

In May, a 31-year-old single mom working as office manager at an HR Consultancy won AED201,000 or the equivalent of Php2.63 million pesos. Wendy Arroz, who hails from Cagayan Valley, told GMA News Online that she will use the money to settle a housing loan she got two years ago for her daughter.

According to Mahzooz, along with Roland, an Emirati national also matched five
out of six numbers and claimed AED 1,000,000. The two men shared the AED
2,000,000 second prize, which was doubled in accordance with the Rules of
Mahzooz, after going unclaimed in the previous 26th draw. —KBK, GMA News