A Filipino fast food chain has taken action to review the list of raffle draw winners after online users noticed the names of the individuals who supposedly won a promo.
It also sought to address the public’s concern over the questionable names listed in the week three raffle draw of the Burger Blowout promo.
“We are currently reviewing the matter and are working closely with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), with whom we have been actively coordinating throughout the course of this promotion,” Jollibee said in a statement posted on its official social media accounts on August 15.
It added that individuals who were previously proclaimed as winners would not be affected by the temporary postponement of the succeeding raffle draws.
“Please be assured that this will not affect previously declared legitimate winners, and we remain committed to ensuring that only valid entries are considered for the raffle draws,” the statement read.
Online users questioned the legitimacy of the names, such as “Hobby Dynamics,” “Elaina Kuphal,” and “Anya Macejkovic,” listed in a now-deleted post.
Some said that most winners had non-Filipino-sounding names on the list while pointing out the absence or rarity of common Filipino surnames like “Reyes” and “Cruz.”
“Sasaklap ng name eh nag-exist ba yan dito[?] I mean ni wala akong nakita na common [surname] sa [P]inas. [S]a dami na yan, ni isa halos walang common [surname] sa [P]inas haha. [N]asasakop na ba tayo ng ibang lahi?” an online user from X (formerly Twitter) said.
“Ano yan [R]ussia branch hahaha,” another said.
Social media users claimed that the names could have been generated by an artificial intelligence (AI).
“Looks like Jollibee asked ChatGPT to come up with the winners’ names haha!” an X user said.
“‘Yung names parang ginamitan lang ng AI,” another said.
Some participants also complained that their raffle entries remained marked as “pending draw.”
“I still have multiple entries na pending draw 😭 Please be fair to us fans who just genuinely want to attend,” an X user said in the caption of the retweeted post of the statement.
Individuals who participated in the promotion have a chance to win Coke Studio Live concert tickets or Jollibee products. The concert, happening on September 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, will be headlined by international singer Lauv, homegrown acts, BINI, Alamat, Over October, Ena Mori, mrld and Alex Bruce.
The fast food chain also advised interested participants to avoid buying tickets from unauthorized sources.
Meanwhile, in a statement on August 16, the DTI said it started investigating the issue and ensured the public “fair and transparent promotional activities.”
“We coordinated with Jollibee as soon as we received information and initiated an investigation,” the statement read.
“We have requested relevant documents, including the list of valid entries and the mechanics used, to ensure a thorough review,” it added.
The promo started on July 17 and would end on August 24.
The fast food restaurant currently has more than 1,700 branches worldwide.
