Filipina wins Dh12 million Big Ticket Abu Dhabi raffle

Abu Dhabi-based Filipino expat won Dh12 million in the Big Ticket raffle draw held in Abu Dhabi. Anabelle Manalastas, a nurse at a government hospital, turned millionaire with ticket number 283702. She and friends let a roar of joy as Richard from Big Ticket rang her up.

"We cannot contain our happiness. I just finished the rosary when Richard called. I thank God for answering my prayer. I am in the UAE since 2011. We used to buy tickets on and off for last four years. We are friends in two groups who share money and buy ticket. One of the friends is now in the US. She left from here in July with her last contribution and we decided to put it this month. Now all of us have won," said Anabelle, who had bought the ticket on November 29.

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She had kept her phone on silent mode but just turned back volume just in time.

"I usually don't use phone when I am working. Also I had seen that the winners are usually hard to contact. So I also tried to ignore my phone. And then Alhamdullilah my phone rang. It was Richard. I heard the cheer of the crowd. And I knew I was the big winner."

Anabelle's mother has passed away. She has her father and siblings back in the Philippines. However, she has no plans to return back. "I had no plans as to what I intended to do with the money. But I had always planned, that if I continue to work even if I win the raffle."

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com

Ashwani Kumar

I am a newspaperman from the emirate of Abu Dhabi. A journalist at heart. I get my stories from the streets. A south Indian born in the Hindi heartland, I easily connect with people from different nationalities and cultures. I am calm like a monk, sensitive and very patient reporter. On the ground, I cover a range of topics related to community, health, embassy, tourism, transport, business and sports. I will go out on a leg to do what’s right and stand by what I believe in.