CEBU City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia ordered an investigation into reports of free “Sinulog is Back” concert tickets being sold online ahead of the event on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.
The mayor, in a Facebook post, emphasized that the concert, “Sinulog is Back!” on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, is free.
Garcia told SunStar Cebu that he had tasked the police to identify and address the scalpers selling tickets for a fee. He also assigned City Councilor Joel Garganera, head of the Sinulog Festival 2025 security cluster, to look into the issue.
“Ang masakpan nga namaligya og namalit sa libreng tickets—mag “Palagi” gyud ni sa prisohan,” the mayor posted on Facebook.
(Those caught selling or buying the free tickets will definitely end up in jail.)
On Wednesday, Jan. 15, long lines formed at the Cebu City Sports Center, primarily composed of students claiming free tickets. Hours later, tickets appeared for sale online, with prices ranging from P250 to P500.
Republic Act 7394, or the Consumer Act of the Philippines, prohibits unfair sales practices and could be applied to cases where scalpers take advantage of consumers by selling tickets at exorbitant prices.
Sen. Mark Villar proposed the Anti-Ticket Scalping Act, which aims to impose significant penalties on individuals engaged in ticket scalping.
According to the bill, those found guilty of reselling tickets at inflated prices could face a fine of P100,000 and/or imprisonment for six months for the first offense.
There is a fine of P250,000 and/or imprisonment for one year for the second offense, and a fine of up to P500,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years for the third offense.
The legislation seeks to address the exploitation of fans by scalpers who resell tickets at prices significantly above their face value.
The bill prohibits the sale or distribution of tickets without prior authorization from the event organizers and restricts any resale markup to no more than 10 percent above the original price.
Crowd control
Garcia emphasized that tickets were distributed solely for crowd control due to the Cebu City Sports Center’s (CCSC) limited seating capacity of over 12,000.
“It is not right for the tickets to be sold because they are free. We issued them to prevent overcrowding and ensure safety. An overcrowded venue could lead to a stampede,” Garcia said.
The mayor also instructed police and event security to exercise maximum tolerance with attendees while authorizing the temporary detention of individuals causing disturbances.
The concert, featuring renowned Filipino artists such as KZ Tandingan, TJ Monterde, Juan Karlos Labajo, and others, marks the first free event of its kind in Sinulog Festival history.
Garcia expressed pride in the public’s excitement, attributing it to the return of Sinulog festivities to the CCSC after being held at the South Road Properties (SRP) in 2023 and 2024.