The GameZone Tour: Tongits Plus Champions Cup Season 4 concluded on 8 March, awarding a P5,000,000 grand prize to a veteran Tongits player whose victory turned a simple card game into a life-changing moment.

Ahrold Tubig emerged as the champion among the 36 players who competed throughout the season.

The Champions Cup opened with nine finalists battling through the elimination round, with the tension building inside the events hall of the Philippine National Bank. Tubig eventually stood as the lone male contender among the final three players, facing Gina Bengco and the tournament’s oldest competitor, 67-year-old Pilar Fernandez.

The goal and the gratitude

After the first half of the championship round, Tubig—who was in second place at the time—told the press that if he won the grand prize, he would use the money to pay off his debts. His secret to winning, he said, was simple: faith.

“Dasal po talaga (It’s really through prayer),” he shared.

Bengco, who finished in first place and took home P1,000,000, said the prize money would go to her family.

Fernandez, who had revealed that she planned to buy a house for her children if she won, finished in second place and received P500,000.

“Para bago ako kunin ni Lord, hindi na mangungupahan mga anak ko (So that before the Lord takes me, my children will no longer have to rent a house),” she said in a GameZone teaser video.

Despite the competitive match, the three finalists expressed gratitude to GameZone for organizing the tournament and giving ordinary Tongits players the chance to win life-changing prizes.

“Maraming-maraming salamat po sa GameZone, kasi kung di po dahil sa GameZone, wala pong pa-tournament na ganito. Ganito kalaking prize? Kasi Tongits lang po iyon. Yung iba kasi pag Tongits, sasabihin nila maliit lang yung mapapanalunan (Thank you very, very much to GameZone. If it weren’t for GameZone, there wouldn’t be a tournament like this. And with a prize this big? It’s just Tongits. Usually when people think of Tongits, they say the winnings are small),” Tubig said.

No hard feelings

For the finalists, there were no hard feelings after the intense competition. Tubig said he remains open to seeing his fellow finalists again after their close match.

“Siguro po magkikita-kita po kami, kasi kami po yung mga nag-grand prize (Maybe we’ll see each other again, since we’re the ones who won the grand prizes),” he told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Fernandez, on the other hand, is already looking forward to another shot at victory.

“Season 5 ulit (again)! Try and try until you succeed,” she said.

Tubig’s momentous victory was shared with his wife, who accompanied him throughout the tournament and witnessed the life-changing win firsthand.