A SCALPER who sold Olivia Rodrigo concert tickets for up to P23,000 each, despite the original price being only P1,500, was caught but not detained outside the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
According to Jonathan Andal’s report on GMA News “24 Oras” last Monday, the scalper was arrested. One of the ticket buyers was Killa Kush, who came all the way from Singapore and had to return to the police station regarding the scalper who sold him tickets at excessively high prices.
However, since Bocaue does not have an ordinance against such ticket price markups, the arrested suspect was simply ordered to return the excessive charges to his “victims.”
“He attends all concerts to make a profit,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Manuel De Vera, chief of the Bocaue Police Station.
“Allegedly a businessman.”
According to Killa, he bought two tickets from the scalper for P46,000. “When I arrived there, he was there with the police. His cellphone was still off. Then the police said, ‘Okay, turn on your cellphone. And give back the money.’ So, he transferred the money back to me and gave me the tickets,” Killa recounted.
“The scalper was very apologetic, so I said, ‘Okay, I’ll pay you P1,500 for each ticket.’ So, P3,000. But the police said, ‘No, what he did was really bad. Because he sold the ticket you bought to other people for P15,000 each,'” he added.
Killa was advised by the police to get a full refund. The young lady still managed to enter the concert. According to De Vera, the suspect is Singaporean, and the said ticket-selling tactic has been used before. “He immediately said he was willing to return the payment just to resolve the issue. And he claimed he did not force anyone to buy or sell his tickets to others,” De Vera stated.
Currently, Quezon City, Pasay City, and San Juan City have ordinances against scalping or selling tickets at higher prices.
According to Atty. Sherwin Tugna, vice mayor of Bocaue, they plan to pass an ordinance against such practices.
“We will discuss this tomorrow at the Bocaue Municipal Council to protect consumers, to protect the residents of Bocaue, even though there is a risk that its constitutionality may be questioned,” he said. “The State cannot intervene between a buyer and a seller as long as they both agree,” he explained.
A flat rate of P1,500 was set for Olivia’s “Guts” world tour, with proceeds going to Jhpiego, an organization providing healthcare assistance to underprivileged women in the Philippines.
Over 700,000 fans of the pop star lined up when ticket selling opened last month.
