EVERY month, international and local artists, including K-pop and P-pop groups, grace the Philippine stage for their respective concerts and fan meetings.

While most Filipino fans hope to see their favorite idols in person, not all have the luck to do so. Getting tickets to these events could be difficult and requires a lot of effort, time, and money. 

Several fans have experienced waiting in long lines and even camping out in shopping malls at midnight, but this does not guarantee that they will be able to secure tickets. Such a challenge for concertgoers is taken advantage of by scalpers, or those who resell tickets for a higher price.

Ticket scalpers, however, may soon be held accountable by Philippine laws. Senator Mark Villar filed Senate Bill 2873 or the proposed “Anti-Ticket Scalping Act” to address “worsening” incidents of scalping in the country by prohibiting and penalizing ticket scalpers.

The senator said Filipino fans deserve to enjoy attending events of their favorite idols “without being extorted by scammers.”

Support from Gen Zs

Several Gen Z concertgoers expressed their support for Senate Bill 2873, believing that this would serve as their protection from ticket resale scams.

“It means fans won’t have to deal with the frustration of overpriced tickets or miss out on events just because scalpers get these tickets first,” said 23-year-old social media associate Ruth Mendoza.

“By keeping ticket prices fair, more people will have a shot at getting tickets at a reasonable cost, which takes a lot of the stress out of the whole process,” she added.

Ray Myher Anuran, 23, told republicasia that the bill might help in “putting an end to the long-running exploitative system of scalpers milking desperate buyers.”

This way, fans would be reassured that they are not taken advantage of and the tickets go to legitimate fans, according to 23-year-old designer Joyce Galamay.

Moira Balbin, a 23-year-old freelancer, echoed this and highlighted that acquiring tickets to their idols’ events should not be stressful.

“Dahil nandyan sila, para akong magre-ready sa war ganon,” she shared with republicasia. “Feel ko need rin ng joint effort from the [production] company handling concerts to help stop scalping kasi some of them [are] good at hiding and exploiting ‘yung mga desperado na sa [ticket].”

For Angela Lim, a 25-year-old sales assistant who is a fan of multiple artists, scalpers trigger “frustration” and “fear” among genuine fans whenever they try to secure concert tickets only to resell them at excessive prices.

“Their sole goal is to make a profit, knowing that some people are willing to take the risk and spend excessively high amounts just to see their favorite artists,” she said.

She added that filing the proposed measure that will go after ticket scalpers is the “right direction” to protect fans and ensure fair ticket distribution.

Licensed social worker Jonah Teves, 24, and fresh graduate Joshua Diño, 23, could not agree more with this and said the bill could help make the ticket-selling system in the country “more organized.”

“[I’m] happy and nandon ‘yung feeling of relief kasi most of us alam naman natin [kung] gaano kahirap kumuha ng ticket lalo na kapag K-pop concert,” Diño said. “Mababawasan na ‘yung mga nagho-hoard ng ticket and mas dadami ‘yung fans na makakakuha [ng ticket].”

Penalties

Senate Bill 2873 prohibits offering, hoarding, selling, distributing, buying, dealing in, disposing of, or otherwise acquiring admission tickets for entertainment events, without written permission from the authorized event producer, organizer, and distributor, obtaining and reselling tickets by more than 10 percent higher than the face value price of the ticket.

The minimum 10 percent markup, however, could still be reviewed and updated by the implementing agencies. The bill will also go after those who finance, manage, and operate ticket scalping activities on a large scale.

As a preventive measure, event ticketing, event production, and event service entities will also be required to post or publish reminders against scalping on their websites and premises, said Villar.

They are mandated to adopt and implement internal policy guidelines and mechanisms to avoid scalping activities among their employees, contractors, and agents.

Villar then emphasized that there is no need to wait for somebody to file a complaint before slapping charges against ticket scalpers, noting that the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), as well as other law enforcement agencies like the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), can also be complainants.

The penalties for those who are found guilty of ticket scalping are:

• First offense – P100,000 and/or six months imprisonment
• Second offense – P250,000 and/or one-year imprisonment
• Third and subsequent offenses – P500,000 and/or three-year imprisonment

Aside from companies, its directors, members, officers, and employees involved in ticket scalping may also be held accountable.

Advice to concertgoers

The Gen Z concertgoers have pieces of advice for their fellow fans, especially those who are planning to attend their idol’s events for the first time.

The first tip on the list is to be prepared during the ticket-selling day.

Mendoza said it would be better for fans to join the pre-sale period, if there is any, for better chances of securing a ticket. During this time, only selected individuals, such as those with official memberships, can purchase tickets before they are offered to the general public.

“If you have no choice but to buy from another person, make sure to do a meet-up before paying,” she said.

“Always ask for their information or I.D., you can also ask different people for vouches and thoroughly check a person’s account before buying from them,” she added.

Diño told fans to ask “reliable sources” about the ticket-selling process and concert rules. Local concert organizers usually publish guidelines and reminders about ticket selling on their official social media pages.

Lim also warned them about offers that are “too good to be true” on social media. 

“Never lose hope when trying to buy concert tickets. If you don’t succeed at first, explore other options, such as joining giveaways or connecting with fans who are selling their tickets at face value,” she said.

Galamay, on the other hand, advised concertgoers to never forget to ask for proof of the authenticity of the tickets from the seller.

“Dapat mindful pa rin tayo kasi hindi naman cheap ang concert tickets. Dapat triple check if legit talaga sila,” stressed Galamay.

“Do anything na makakapag panatag ng loob niyo,” she continued. “Huwag padalos-dalos dahil minsan hindi lang naman pera makukuha sa inyo, peti personal information, pwede.”

Before the proposed measure, several local government units like Pasay City and Quezon City passed ordinances that penalize ticket scalpers.