Former senator Kiko Pangilinan is calling for an investigation of scalpers in the upcoming concert of the KPop girl group 2NE1, proposing to pass a law that penalizes scalping.
“Maraming Pinoy concert-goers ang binubudol ng mga scalpers at etong darating na concert ng 2NE1 nga ay binubudol na naman ang ating mga kababayan. At dahil digital na rin ang pagbili ng tickets, kailangan na ring imbistigahan pati ang mga bot scalpers (Many Filipino concert-goers have been duped by scalpers and this upcoming concert of the 2NE1 is another chance for scalpers to swindle our countrymen. And because ticket selling is now online, the use of AI / bot scalpers need to be investigated too),” he said.
Scalpers hoard tickets or goods for concerts, games, or speaking events and resell them at higher prices. In 2NE1’s case, the most expensive tickets (VIP-sendoff/soundcheck) are at P16,500 but hacker sites are selling them for more than twice that amount at P38,000 to P40,000. For her October 5 concert, Filipino-American singer Olivia Rodrigo pegged her tickets at a flat rate of P1,500, but scalpers sold them for as much as P10,000 to P23,000.
The Philippines does not have a national anti-scalping law. Locally, only Pasay City (MOA Arena site), Quezon City (Araneta Coliseum), and San Juan City (FilOil Arena) have ordinances against scalping. According to news reports, a scalper from Singapore was arrested in Bocaue, Bulacan (Philippine Arena) for trying to sell Olivia Rodrigo’s concert tickets for P23,000 each, but without any local law in Bulacan, the scalper was let go.
Pangilinan, who is running for senator in next year’s election, said his proposed law will create a fairer, more transparent market, thus protecting consumers from exploitation and preventing market distortions caused by scalping’s unfair reselling practices.
He said his bill against scalping will discourage unethical practices such as the use of bots to buy tickets in bulk, giving ordinary buyers a better chance to secure tickets or goods fairly.
“Panloloko ang scalping. Pipila ka ng mahaba. O maghihintay ka online. Tapos wala na palang ticket o napakamahal na. Kawawa naman ang mga fans (Scalping is essentially fraud. Fans queue up for tickets in real life or online only to find out that there are no more tickets or that the tickets are sold at much higher prices. It’s a disservice to fans),” Pangilinan said.
The former senator, who is married to Philippine artist Megastar Sharon Cuneta, said scalping also erodes public confidence in the ticketing system.
“Kawawa rin ang mga artists kung di sila mapapanood ng fans nila o kung nabudol ang mga fans ng scalpers. Kaya yung iba nanonood abroad. Sayang ang perang sa Pilipinas na sana ginagastos, sa ibang bayan pa napupunta (Scalping also disadvantages artists if their fans are either unable to watch or have been victimized by scalpers. That’s why some go abroad to watch concerts, foregoing revenues that the Philippines should have earned),” he said.
Pangilinan’s proposed law promotes transparency in the ticketing market by regulating sales.
“Yan din ang ginawa natin sa bigas noon. Inayos natin ang sistema para sa mga Pilipinong mamimili. Hindi tayo nagpadala presyo ng scalpers ng bigas, sa presyong dala ng artificial inflation. Binaba natin sa tunay na balor ng bigas ang presyo ng pagbili natin dito (This is also what we did with rice prices before. We designed the rice procurement system for the Filipino consumer. We did not succumb to the prices of the rice scalpers, to their artificial inflation prices. We brought rice prices down and bought at that level),” said the presidential food security adviser under former President Noynoy Aquino.
Pangilinan said his proposed law will also benefit concert organizers, as it allows them to maintain control over the distribution of tickets or products and helps them retain a better reputation.
All 2NE1 fans are commonly referred to as Blackjacks.
