‘Garapalang panloloko!’: De Lima sick of ticket scalping, does something about it

Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima has had enough of ticket scalpers, who suck a lot of the fun away from Filipinos’ participation in events such as concerts and sports spectacles. It is for this reason that De Lima filed House Bill (HB) No. 9171, which sought to protect consumers and ensure fair access to entertainment events by prohibiting ticket scalping, particularly the resale of tickets at prices exceeding 10 percent above face value without proper authorization. “Malinaw po: Ang ticket scalping ay hindi maituturing na diskarte lang sa pagnenegosyo. Hindi ito dapat ipagkibit-balikat lang kung na-a-afford naman ng pinagbebentahan. Isa itong garapalang pagkatuso, panloloko at panggagantso sa kapwa,” De Lima stated. (Clearly, ticket scalping cannot be considered just a business strategy. It should not be shrugged off simply because some buyers can afford it. It is outright deceit, fraud, and swindling of others.) Ticket scalping refers to the practice of purchasing admission tickets to entertainment events and reselling them at prices far exceeding their original face value, often exploiting high demand for concerts, sports matches, and festivals. It’s an exploitative activity that De Lima wants to curb via the unauthorized 10 percent-above-face-value cap on tickets. “We want to restore public trust and ensure that access to live events is determined by fairness rather than the ability of intermediaries to exploit demand for profit,” the.House senior deputy minority leader said in justifying HB No. 9171. “Hindi pwedeng hayaan lang ang labis na pananamantala ng scalpers. Kung hindi ito aaksyunan at papatawan ng mahigpit na parusa, titindi pa ang kanilang modus at mas marami pa silang mabibiktima – mga fans na mapipilitang bumili sa di-makatarungang presyo o mapagkakaitan ng oportunidad na mapanood ang kanilang mga hinahangaan dahil naubusan o dahil hindi kayang makabili ng mahal na ticket,” she added. (Scalpers’ excessive exploitation cannot simply be allowed. If this is not acted upon and punished strictly, their scheme will worsen and more fans will fall victim—forced to buy at unfair prices or deprived of the chance to watch their idols because tickets are sold out or too expensive.) The Bicolana cited numerous complaints from fans about excessive resale prices for events they want to watch or attend. De Lima said these incidents highlighted how unregulated resale practices enable profiteering at the expense of genuine fans and underscore the need for stronger regulatory measures. Under HB No.9171, acts such as ticket hoarding, selling through unauthorized channels, and failure to disclose accurate pricing information will be penalized. Financing, managing, or operating ticket scalping activities, as well as using automated purchasing tools or “bots”, fake accounts, or other similar deceptive, misleading, or fraudulent means to acquire admission tickets shall also constitute ticket scalping. Any person found guilty of prohibited acts under this bill may be fined from P50,000 to as much as P500,000 and/or imprisonment for six months to three years. Furthermore, the bill requires event organizers and ticketing entities to adopt clear anti-scalping policies and provide public advisories, thereby promoting transparency, accountability, and a more equitable ticketing system.