'Tapatan Ni Tunying' explores Filipinos' fascination with games of luck

Broadcast journalist Anthony Taberna explores the different ways Filipinos chase after luck in tomorrow’s (Feb 20) “Tapatan ni Tunying,” where he features three people with unique stories of encounter with chance.

Like many Filipinos, plumber Joseph del Pilar is a regular lotto bettor. Joseph, who is now 47, has been betting almost every day since he was a young man but is yet to win any major prize from the game. Despite this, he continues to pin his hope to lotto for the chance to earn enough money to send his sick son to the hospital.

“Sometimes we don’t get to eat because we use the money for my son’s treatment. Sometimes I leave everything to God and pray every night. That’s why I look to get lucky and play the lottery,” Joseph says.

While luck has been elusive to Joseph so far, the opposite is true for Norman Ramos whose total casino winnings reached P120 million at one point. However, Norman lost all of it in four days when he returned to gambling and suffered a losing streak.

Meanwhile, ice cream vendor Roberto Bulanhagui hopes to manage his jackpot prize wiser. After winning a total of P800,000 in the “Isang Tanong, Isang Milyon” segment in the noontime show “It’s Showtime,” Joseph already knows how he will use his newfound fortune.

He has since spent the prize on his mother’s medical treatment and paid his debts. “I have paid 90% of them. I set aside a part of the money to buy carts because I want to manage an ice cream business,” Joseph says.

ABS-CBN’s “Tapatan ni Tunying” is part of ABS-CBN’s new weekday current affairs block. In it, he does not only sit down with big personalities but also ordinary people who are directly affected by the country’s most pressing issues.

Also part of the new block are Julius Babao in “Mission Possible” (Mondays), Karen Davila, Atty. Claire Castro, and K Brosas in “3-in-1,” Atom Araullo in “RealiTV” (Wednesdays), and Dyan Castillejo in “Sports U” (Thursdays).

Tune in to “Tapatan Ni Tunying” tomorrow (Feb 20 ) at 4:30 PM on ABS-CBN. For updates, follow the program’s social media accounts www.Twitter.com/TNTunying, www.Instagram.com/TNTunying, and www.facebook.com/TNTunying.

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