Filipina | The Adobo Chronicles

Tel Aviv – Good fortune has just struck twice for Rose Fostanes, the Filipina caregiver who recently won in the inaugural season of X Factor Israel.

Yesterday, Fostanes won one hundred fifty million sheqel (Israeli currency) in the country’s national lottery, Mifal HaPayis.

Most gambling is prohibited in Israel, but Mifal HaPayis is a government-sanctioned national lottery organization. It was established in August 1951 to recruit funding for the construction of a hospital in Tel Aviv. At first, the project’s profits were used only for healthcare applications. Later on, when Mifal HaPayis became a national lottery organization, its support was extended to projects in the fields of education, recreation, and the arts.

This latest fortune comes as huge relief for Ms. Fostanes who learned last week that she cannot be paid for any recording contracts, concerts or public appearances within Israel because her work permit allows her to only get paid as a caregiver. Winning the lottery has no such restrictions. Citizens, immigrants and tourists can claim the prize as long as they possess the winning ticket.

Asked by The Adobo Chronicles about her immediate plans, the singer/caregiver/millionaire said she will continue to work as a caregiver and give free concerts in Tel Aviv and other cities in Israel. She added that she is considering establishing a care facility in Tel Aviv so she could help the sick, indigents and the elderly.

Tel Aviv, Israel – On Tuesday night, Rose Fostanes, a Filipina caregiver working in Tel Aviv, was named winner in the first-ever X Factor Israel, the local version of the popular reality TV singing competiton originated by Simon Cowell in Great Britain. She won the most number of viewer votes in the finals, besting three other contestants. Fostanes was the only non Israeli.

But just minutes after the telecast, producers of the show stripped Fostanes of the winner’s title, citing widespread nationwide protests. Producers said their television network was deluged with angry calls insisting that a foreigner should not be declared winner of what was obviously a contest for Israeli nationals. “There is a reason the show is called X Factor Israel, ” the protesters complained, “in the same way as other shows are called American Idol or Britain’s Got Talent.”

While producers acknowledged that talent-wise, Fostanes truly deserved the title, they understood the sentiments of the complaining viewers. They said they wished her well and are confident that if she joined X Factor Philippines in her home country, she would handily win the title.

Fostanes’ winning song was Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”