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Pinoy quantity surveyor, barista win AED 100K each in Dubai raffle draw
By JOJO DASS DUBAI, United Arab Emirates –A 61-year-old quantity surveyor and a 28-year-old barista were the latest Filipino winners in a weekly raffle draw here, where participants can enter to win merely by buying a bottled drinking water.
“Gregorio” and “Anneliese” each won AED 100,000 – the approximate equivalent of P1.42 million – according to Mahzooz, which held the draw last weekend and made the announcement about the winner on April 28, 2022.
“Tuwang-tuwa ako sa natanggap na blessing. I would like to thank Mahzooz from the bottom of my heart,” said Gregorio, the quantity surveyor who has been in Dubai since 2005. He said the money will be used in building a family house in their hometown in Rizal.
“Additional ito sa finances namin. Nagpa-plano kaming magtayo ng bahay,” said Gregorio, who has four adult children and at least three grand children.
“Siyempre magbalato ako sa mga apo ko,” he added.
Gregorio said he joins the draw every week, convinced by his son, who is also staying in Dubai.
It’s clearing debts for Anneliese and securing a future for her daughters.
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A third winner, “Santosh,” who’s from India, said the prize money will help him pay his housing loan, apply for a driver’s license and buy a small car.
Mahzooz has become very popular in the Filipino community. Around 20 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) won in the weekly draws last year.
Among big winners was “Patricio,” who worked as material contract supervisor at an oil and gas company in Fujairah, an emirate north of Dubai.
Patricio, who has been abroad for a decade making money for his family and younger son afflicted with a serious medical condition, won AED10 million – the equivalent of P136.32 million.
“This amount will allow my family and I to pursue any and every dream we have. I wouldn’t have been able to save such a huge amount even if I had worked for a hundred years,” the 52-year-old OFW said.
The father of two sons – 23 and 18 years old – said it has long been his wish to provide a state-of-the-art care for his younger son who is afflicted with cerebral palsy.
Other big winners last year were "Roland," an Abu Dhabi bakeshop delivery van driver, and “Antonio,” gym sales associate, who both won AED1 million each.
Entrants can participate in Mahzooz by registering via www.mahzooz.ae and purchasing a bottle of drinking water. Each bottle of water purchased for AED 35 provides eligibility for one line in the draw. The donation benefits the less fortunate through Mahzooz’s community partners.—LDF, GMA News