Press Release

SMART gives 1M to Cash Jackpot Araw-Araw winner

(From left) SMART International Services Manager Gladys Co  and “Cash Jackpot Araw-araw” grand prize winner Jona T. Bautista of Pangasinan pose with the P1 million check facsimile.

[September 30, 2008/ Manila] - The promo was well under way when Jona T. Bautista decided to join “Cash Jackpot Araw-araw” on the chance that any of her regular text messages to her husband in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia would win her the daily P50,000 prize money.

She didn’t.  She won the grand prize of P1 million instead.

“Of course, I was very happy although when I got the call from SMART International Services that I won the grand prize, I didn’t believe it at first,” she said.  Neither did her husband or her mother until she received the letter confirming her win.

“Cash Jackpot Araw Araw“ was conducted by Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) from April 19, 2008 to July 27, 2008 to reward subscribers who used any of SMART’s international services like IDD, International SMS/MMS/Video Call/Voice Text and Roaming.

All active SMART prepaid and postpaid subscribers who registered international usage during the promo period got a chance to win the daily P50,000 prize money or the P1 million tax-free grand prize.

Jona intends to deposit her winnings in a bank and wait for her husband, Baltazar, to finish his two-year overseas employment contract before doing anything about the prize money.

“Kung di aayusin ang paggastos ng pera, mawawala rin.  Mahal na rin ang pagpapaaral ngayon, (You’re likely to lose the money if you don’t spend it wisely.  Tuition is rather steep nowadays)” she said.

She and Baltazar have a four-year-old daughter, who goes to a public elementary school.  A graduate of a two-year associate course in Computer Science, Jona stopped working to attend to their daughter’s needs, especially when her husband got overseas work.

Jona, who lives with her mom in Manaoag, but regularly visits her in-laws during weekends in Binmaley, Pangasinan, dreams of getting their own home.   Her dream is shared by her daughter who remembers when Typhoon Cosme brought flood waters into their home last May.

Her daughter even surprised her one time when she pointed to a nice-looking house and said, “ Mommy, pag may pera na tayo, ganyang bahay ang gusto ko.  Pag umuulan, di bumabaha (When we have money, I want us to get a home like that, which doesn’t get flooded when the rains come.”)

With her winnings, they just might.  @