He has voiced concern over the matter.
On Monday, June 15, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan repeated his call for the immediate passage of his proposed anti-scalping measure.
The senator, who charied the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, authored and sponsored Senate Bill No. 1989 (Anti-Ticket Scalping Act), which aims to explicitly ban tbe act of ticket scalping and protect consumer rights.
His call comes amid the reports of resale of tickets to the upcoming Arirang concert of K-pop superstars BTS at exorbitant prices.
“Nanawagan tayo ng agarang pagpasa ng ating panukalang Anti-Scalping Act sa gitna ng mga ulat na natatanggap ng ating tanggapan mula sa mga concertgoers tungkol sa napakataas na presyo ng reselling ng BTS concert tickets,” his statement read.
He also noted that based on the reports that his office received, some fans have waited 10 years to see the band perform in the country. “Hindi tama na pagsamantalahan ng mga scalper ang pananabik at paghihintay ng mga fans.”
According to circulating posts on social media, some fans noted that tickets to show are being sold up to PHP90,000 by scalpers.
“Layunin ng panukala na sugpuin ang abusive resale practices sa pamamagitan ng pagpapataw ng parusa sa mga indibidwal at organisasyong magbebenta ng tickets lampas sa itinakdang regulated price,” Pangilinan underscored.
The senator also noted that the bill aims to also strengthen the accountability of ticketing platforms and concert organizers through monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
“Nagpapakahirap ang mga tunay na fans na ipunin ang pambili ng mga tickets na ito. Nagpapakahirap sila na mag-queue sa mga ticketing platforms para makabili,” he stressed.
“Lumalaban sila nang tama at patas, pero ninanakaw ng mga scalper ang oportunidad nilang makita ang mga iniidolo nila.”
Under the proposed measure, a P100,000 fine or six- month-imprisonment (or both) might be imposed for the first offense, P250,000 fine or one-year-imprisonment (or both) in the second offense, and P500,000 fine or up to three years of imprisonment for the third offense.
