I asked friends what they would do with the money if they won. Their answers revealed their secret dreams. It’s fun and touching.

Former congressman Apolinario Lozada, Jr. now known as "not the Jun Lozada of the NBN/ZTE" said, "P200 million? Pwede nang labanan ulit si Iggy."

In 2004, Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo, brother of Mike Arroyo who is the husband of Gloria Arroyo flooded voters the fifth district of Negros Occidental with money that washed away Lozada from the House of Representatives.

Dante Madriaga, the engineering designer/consultant to the Abalos "greedy group" that brokered for the Chinese firm, ZTE, to get the overpriced $329 million telecommunications deal, said, "I will put the money in interest-bearing safe investment."

The ZTE scandal left Madriaga without business and work adversely affecting his family of seven.

Pamsy Tioseco, public relations officer of Sen. Rodolfo Biazon and the dean of the Senate PR officers, is a breast cancer survivor. She has helped many indigent cancer patients get assistance from senators who have allotted part of the Country Development Fund, notoriously known as pork barrel, for public hospitals specially Philippine General Hospital.

Pamsy feels the agony of patients who have nowhere to get money for the expensive treatment of cancer. Medicine for chemotherapy costs at least P45,000 per cycle. There’s also a medicine for breast cancer, Herceptin, which I understand costs about P90,000.

Pamsy said, "If I get the P200 million, I will share it with my cancer-survivor-sisters who have no money for chemo or for herceptin. That would easily take care of full chemo of 100 indigent PGH patients. I will also take care of the kids at the East Avenue Hospital cancer ward."

It’s not only their treatment that Pamsy is thinking of. "I will also give them P20,000 each as capital for livelihood activity. Also put up an art and dance school free to all cancer survivors and kids."

After taking care of others, Pamsy said, "I will bring my whole family to Lourdes, France and bathe in the holy water there. I will attend a mass with family at the grotto in Fatima in Portugal."

PGH is also in the mind of Malaya columnist JB Baylon: "Donate half (of prize money) to PGH."

As vice president for public affairs of Coca Cola Bottlers, JB has made PGH a major beneficiary of the multinational firm’s social responsibility program.

NHK TV’s Charmaine Deogracias has a special child and she plans a fantastic day for him and the other children if she gets lucky: "I want to close Enchanted Kingdom for one day for an exclusive treat to all special children and their families as well as the orphans at Manila Boys Town."

The rest of the money, she will use "to buy a house near my kids’ school, buy a car, get an annulment, finish the construction and furnishing of my house which I will give to my mother so she can come home from Canada, open a business and set up a trust fund for my two boys. My autistic son gets the lion’s share."

Susan Ople, who left Gloria Arroyo’s Malacañang and joined the office of Sen. Mar Roxas, said she will use the money to pamper her mother: "I will take my Mom around the world, first class all the way."

Karen Macasaet, wife of Malaya publisher Jake Macasaet, said she will first settle debts, then help poor relatives. She said she will "Give substantial amount to our scholarship program at PUP and donate to Gawad Kalinga and Elsie Gaches. The rest, I’ll keep for our old age."

Former Navy Ensign Elmer Cruz, one of the authors of the bestseller "Pulutan-from the soldiers’ kitchen" said he has not made a bet but his girlfriend, Del, did. He said he and Del have agreed that if they win, "We’ll put up a resort like Plantation Bay. We will donate to charities."

After four years in detention for his alleged involvement in the so-called 2003 Oakwood mutiny, Elmer and 52 other junior officers were released last December. He is now working in Makati and is pursuing a masteral course in public management.

I asked three lawyers who are handling cases of detained military officers. Vicente Verdadero, counsel for Brig. Gen. Danny Lim, has already divided the P200 million plus: "I will give P50 million to my poor relatives and friends. Another P50 million to buy a new house and the rest, I will keep in a bank to pay for daily needs, travel, and responsible pleasure, kung ano man ‘yun."

Ernesto Francisco, counsel of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and other "Magdalo" officers in the Nov. 29, 2007 "rebellion" case, said he will use part of the prize money " to give my family, relatives and myself a good life and financial security. I will also use a portion as a seed fund for a public interest law office and a free legal assistance center."

Joel Butuyan is a partner in the "Roque and Butuyan law offices", which handles the case of detained Lt. Artemio Raymundo, the officer who has been in detention for one year and six months for distributing Erap biopic CDs.

Joel and his associates are also counsels in the class suits of journalists against Mike Arroyo and officials involved in the Manila Pen arrest of members of media.

In his reply what to do with the lotto prize money, Joel revealed his secret fantasy: "I will buy coffee farm in Metro Tagaytay, a beach house, quit the daily grind and work in writing like Ellen Tordesillas and Conrad de Quiros."