Inquirer Redux

This is a late post but I just got the picture file of the Inquirer front page that ran a story about PSR on its "ear" - the story on the left side of the logo.

This story was one of the better ones about PSR and it got to the Inquirer front page when I e-mailed it directly to Letty Jimenez Magsanoc and asked her if she was interested in it as an exclusive. Gladly she was, so it ran in PDI as one of their "feel-good-Sunday" stories.

The results were pretty phenomenal. Text volume starting rising immediately and as a result the December Grand Christmas Draw, when PSR gave out P12million in prizes, was a resounding success.

37479197, Housewife, Marikina

It's somewhat comforting to see how settled the routine has become in drawing the PSR weekly winner.

Typically, the big question has to do with who will draw the winner. Usually, Finance Secretary Gary Teves likes to draw the winner entry, at least whenever his schedule permits.

Today, his schedule had an opening at 2 P.M. so the TV crew set up in his Makati office, just as they did two weeks ago.

The process starts with the awarding of last week's winner. After the photo ops with the winner, Sec. Teves, the BIR Commissioners and the PAGCOR representatives all gather around the computer screen. Sec. Teves then starts and stops the electronic tambiolo and announces the winning raffle entry number. A short spiel thereafter and the weekly draw is done.

The crew will then wrap up, quickly edit down the footage into a 15-min. program, burn a DVD and then send off this DVD to ABC 5 studios in Novaliches. The program will be aired shortly after the PBA basketball game tonight, around 10:30 P.M.

Meanwhile, PhilWeb SVP Bobby Mauricio will call the cellphone of the drawn raffle entry number and start the verification process of the official receipt. If all goes well, there should be another millionaire awarded next Friday.

Meanwhile, we're already planning more enhancements to bring added excitement to the program.

An Interview in U.P.

A couple of U.P. students set up an interview on PSR early this morning. There were a lot of questions on the format, what to do, 9777 vs. 9778 ... all the usual basic questions.

Only one or two had heard of the program. None had participated before.

That said, a lot were interested in trying it out. This being U.P., lots of questions were on exactly how PSR helps the BIR and the government.

I told them to check out the websites and watch for the televised weekly draw later tonight on ABC 5.

Another week, another millionaire

PSR version 2007 is settling into a nice pattern. Every Friday, a new millionaire is drawn.

Seems so simple and dependable.

This week, Deputy Commissioner Lilia Guillermo of the BIR came to the PhilWeb office to draw the winning raffle entry number.

We also awarded the P1 million prize to last week's winner, an auditor from the COA. Nice to see a government employee win.

2007: Weekly PSR na!

000031751277

That's the raffle entry number for the new PSR millionaire, which Sec. Teves just drew a few minutes ago.

PSR has moved to a new weekly format, where a new millionaire is drawn every Friday morning. Every so often, the program will have Special Draws offering extra millions, say around Easter or Christmas. The objective is that total prize money for the program will still be the same, on an annual basis.

The draw will be televised tonight on ABC5 at 10:30 PM. Can't wait to see how that rates.