A teacher won the lotto jackpot. Her first plan was to redeem her ATM card from a loan shark.

A public school teacher who won a Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) lotto jackpot said the first thing she would do with her winnings was redeem her ATM card from a loan shark.

This moment moved PCSO Assistant General Manager Atty. Lyssa Grace Pagano to tears and put a human face on the financial reality of millions of Filipino teachers.

Pagano, who oversees the PCSO’s Gaming, Product Development and Marketing Sector, shared the story in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on September 19, recounting what she described as the most memorable answer she has ever received when asking a jackpot winner what they planned to do with their prize.

The PCSO assistant general manager said the exchange happened during an awarding ceremony, when she asked the teacher, as she always does, where the money would go.

“Ang pinaka i-share ko lang, ang pinaka-tumatak talaga sa akin na sabi niya kung saan niya gagamitin sir, sabi niya tutubusin ko ‘yung ATM ko! Teacher ito. Nanalo siya ng jackpot, tinanong ko rin, ‘Ma’am saan niyo gagamitin ‘yan?’ Tapos sabi niya, ‘Tutubusin ko po ‘yung ATM ko!’ Nakasangla ang ATM ko sa loan,” Pagano said.

Pagano said the answer moved her to tears, not just because of the individual story, but because it reflects a reality that hundreds of thousands of Filipino teachers share: ATM cards pledged to informal lenders, with salaries eaten up by interest before the month begins.

PCSO officials noted that the issue of teachers’ ATM cards being held by loan sharks was raised decades ago by lawmakers, and that the problem clearly persists to this day.

Pagano said the teacher’s story is why PCSO’s work matters beyond the games themselves. The charity fund, the Guarantee Letters, the ambulances, and the educational assistance exist precisely for the people who carry this kind of burden quietly and alone, according to the PCSO official.