Immersion with the scalpers

Sept 22
Ticket-hunting Part II

While waiting for the game to start (We got inside Araneta at around 12 noon; Game 1 of the Finals starts at 4 pm), I called TicketNet to inquire about the selling of tickets for the next game. I was told that tickets will be released the next day after the game, Sept 22 at the yellow gate. The TicketNet booth will open at 9 am. I and some friends agreed to stay overnight in Araneta since we knew how hard it is to get tickets. Game 1 tickets which were sold last Sept 15 got sold out in just 3 hours and it was said that people were already lined up as early as 4 am. We all went home to have some rest and take a bath. It was around 11 when I arrived in CBTL in front of the Yellow Gate, our designated meeting place. To our surprise, a lot of people were already in front of the gate – mostly, scalpers. How did we know? They’re identifiable. It’s actually easy to tell whether someone is a scalper or not, unless otherwise disproved. In our estimate, there were about more than a hundred (or probably more than 200) persons roaming around the vicinity of the yellow gate. Only about 10 of those seemed to be students/alumni. Quoting the entry I made last year about scalpers: “They come in groups and I assume that they bring, if not the whole baranggay (exaggeration), their whole family to line up for the tickets. They do this to be able to buy and sell more since the TicketNet usually implements a 2 ticket per person policy during the release date of the tickets.”

There are two major rules implemented by TicketNet in selling UAAP and NCAA Finals tickets:

1. A maximum of two (2) tickets can be bought by a customer
2. The customer must be able to present a school ID or an authorization letter if he/she is a representative or proxy of a student/alumnus/alumnae

For scalpers, there’s no problem with rule number 1. But for rule number 2, I was wondering how they’ll be able to present a valid school ID. Where in the world will they get ID’s? One possible solution: RECTO. I was told by my friend that he saw one scalper with an envelop full of ID’s. What the F?! Clap clap for these professional scalpers. Amazing. I then told my friends that I’ll wander around to see how things are going. People were scattered everywhere. All of a sudden, everyone rushed towards the gate. I quickly ran too and found myself in front of everyone. Only 2 persons were ahead of me. I then called my friends so that they can insert in the place I got. A security crew member then came out and told everyone to leave. Our group, being Ateneans with good morality and exercising fairness, followed him and waited for the right time to line up. Apparently, everyone else didn’t care. Every time the security crew member left, they all went back in front of the gate. At around 12:30 am, a man in light blue long-sleeve polo carrying a megaphone and 2 security guards came and asked everyone to fix the line. A friend of mine heard a security guard say “Hayaan na ‘yan. ‘Yan naman gusto nila eh.” That move resulted to a commotion. People started to insert to anywhere they could. I left the line since everyone was pushing one another. A friend of mine even got stuck in the middle of a group of scalpers. We suddenly found ourselves at the back of the line. It turned out that the resistance made by the scalpers earned them the reward of being the first in line. How ironic, isn’t it?

We were then asked to form a single line. When the line got settled, we accepted how things went out and just hoped that we can still get tickets when the gate opens. While trying to entertain ourselves with mobile phones, iPods, cards, newspapers and a nihonggo practice book, we noticed this man in a checkered polo roaming around. He was talking to a group of people who were in the line and also to the man in light blue long-sleeved polo, who we assumed then, as the head of the security. I heard this man say to a group of scalpers “Dapat ‘di kayo naghiwahiwalay.” What does that mean? This guy must be the head of the scalpers. A man in an Adidas Ateneo Tee was also busy talking to those who were in the line. The business must have been so good that he was able to buy an Adidas Ateneo Tee. No offense, but it’s safe to assume that he’s also one of the Master Scalper who asked these people to fall in line in exchange of. most likely, money. (Side note: Thinking in the level of their business, having an Ateneo or La Salle Apparel or at least good clothes are investments for them. Being well dressed would save them from being suspected as scalpers. Just like Mr. Mustached Man in Checkered Polo and Guy in Ateneo Shirt). It’s logical to assume that these people who were lining up are there to buy tickets, perhaps, in-exchange for a small amount that these “bosses” of theirs promised them. Keeping things according to definition, scalpers are those who resell tickets for a higher amount; those who are lining up to buy tickets aren’t always scalpers. Analogy: Some do their thing for an “employer” and gets paid while some prefer to be “self-employed.” Having clearly defined what scalpers are, might as well give those who work for them, by lining up, a name. I’ll call them the liners.

So going back, the man in checkered polo kept on roaming around and talking to several groups of liners. I took some pictures of him secretly just in case we need to show an authority his picture. I was keeping myself busy watching a movie in my iPod. Instead of keeping myself awake by watching a movie, I got sleepy so I decided to take coffee. I went to a 24-hour convenience store and grabbed a can of coffee and quickly came back. I passed by the group of scalpers who were in front of us and saw bodies scattered all around. People were sleeping on the floor without anything under them – not even newspaper. Just pure floor. I even saw a lady having her baby breastfed while staying there in the line. For a moment, I felt pity for them. But I took it back. Why pity these people who take advantage of the students and alumni who are sacrificing their time, health, security, and effort just to get a ticket or two, to watch and support their teams in a basketball game? Most of the men in the line are even built with a body which can give them work. Not all of them seemed helpless. “F.Y.” to those who let them do it. And “F.Y.” to those who do it.

At around 3 am, 3 of my company went to a nearby 24-hour fast food chain to buy some food. 3 of us were left in the line to secure our place. When they came back, they told us that Master Scalper in Adidas Ateneo Tee was there in the store “auditing” his sales. Angkapal. I decided to walk around to stretch some numb muscles. A guy in white shirt with a number 81 in his shirt then asked me where the end of the line is. Since the line wasn’t really a single straight line (it was actually a single line turned to “S” so that the line wouldn’t reach the nearby stores), I answered him “…somewhere in the middle of that piled up people.” He asked me, “Pwede sama na lang ako sainyo? ” I told him “Binabantayan ng mga tao kung sino nasa likod at harap nila. So malamang di ka basta-basta makakapasok.” In fairness to the guy, he doesn’t seem to look like a scalper. But sticking to our group’s principle of ensuring that no one gets to insert into the line, I didn’t let him in. At around 4:30 am, the guy in light blue long-sleeve polo carrying a megaphone came back and asked everyone to stand up and fix the line. The “S line” was straightened. Mr. 81 quickly ran and inserted himself into the line. He pretended that he was with us. One of my friends, knowing that he wasn’t part of the line and definitely not part of our group was making “parinig” but he doesn’t seem to be affected. As a strategy of not getting himself kicked out of the line, he opened up conversations to as many persons as he could while establishing his place in the line – most of those who he was talking to? Those which I call, the liners. “Angkapal. Anggaling. Ibang level,” said my friends. As time went by, little by little, the single line multiplied. We were the only ones noticing and voicing out how unfair things are turning out. I noticed that the number of people in front of us is piling up. I was able to identify 2 persons who weren’t really part of the line. I was saying “Wag naman sumingit. Kagabi pa kami dito tapos ngayon bigla lang kayo sisingit.” A friend of mine followed up with “Oo nga, maawa naman kayo sa mga nasa likod nyo.” Mr. Mustached Man in Checkered Polo then came to me and said “Mga bata ko yan, wag nyong papagalawin yan.” He was tapping my shoulder while saying that probably thinking that I’ll get scared. Well, I didn’t. I answered back “Wala akong pakialam. Bata bata… Pila pinaguusapan dito.“

It was quarter past 5. The sun was coming out; Mr. Mustached Man in Checkered Polo was still wandering around; Master Scalper in Ateneo Shirt was standing still in front of the line; Mister 81 still extending his network with a number of liners. We’re all tired. 4 more hours of waiting before the gate opens. I can’t anymore see the single line. The guy in blue long-sleeve polo with a megaphone came and asked everyone to rise up. I asked him if he could do something about those who weren’t part of the line. He said, NBI agents will come to have everything fixed. The scalpers don’t seem to be scared even if they heard that NBI agents were coming. Then Mr. Mustached Man in Checkered Polo said “Ewan ko kung pano aayusin ni pare ko yan.” He was referring to the guy in blue long-sleeve polo with a megaphone. Mr. Mustached Man in Checkered Polo must be a friend of the guy in blue long-sleeve polo with a megaphone. Looks like something is cooking here.

It was nearly 9 am. A policeman was there to make things organized. However, the presence of the policeman doesn’t seem to bother anyone. The gate finally opened and everyone was pushing one another. At around 9:30, upper A tickets were sold out! The best we could have are upper B tickets, the least would be general admission tickets. There was this group of men in front of us who were trying to insert themselves into the line. We were telling those in front of us not to let them in. As we get nearer and nearer to the gate, the tension was rising between our group and this group of men. My friend said, “Mahiya naman kayo!” They answered back, “Wala kami nun!” I then said, “Buti alam nyo!” One of them responded and said, “Pak yu!” I got really pissed off and I shouted, “It’s FUCK! not PAK!” A friend followed up with a few lines of her own. I then saw a group of guys smile at us. The organizers approached us and asked us to point out who weren’t part of the line. We identified them one by one and the organizer asked the guy in blue long sleeve polo to make them leave. The guy in blue long sleeved polo simply asked them, “O, may mga ID ba kayo? Ayusin nyo na linya nyo.” Mr. Mustached Man in checkered polo then approached me, again, tapping my shoulder and said, “Hayaan nyo na yang mga yan at nasa pila talaga yan.” What the F!?! We all came into conclusion, “Magkasabwat nga sila.” (Mr. Mustached man and the guy who was facilitating the line (guy in blue long-sleeve polo). Again, we tried to get help from the organizers inside the yellow gate. We said “Wala naman pong ginawa yung security.” He then said, “Paalisin mo yan. Di mo kaya paalisin?” The guy in light blue long-sleeve polo was forced to let the group of men leave. One of the guys who smiled at us when we were asking help from the security then approached us and said “Guys, mag-ingat kayo. Galit na galit na.” I then saw the group of men who were asked to leave the line, having a conversation among them. I asked the one who warned us if he could help us. He asked, “Mga Atenista ba kayo?” We all answered “YES!” He then said, “Kami bahala sainyo.” It felt really great. They moved along with us as we get nearer and nearer the entrance of the TicketNet booth, getting our group away from those group of men who were asked to leave. We finally got our tickets. But right outside the gate were the group of men whom we were able to dispose from the line. They might be thinking pay-back. We waited for everyone in our group (3 young men and 3 young ladies all of whom are Ateneans) and asked permission from the TicketNet organizers if we could stay inside the gate until we’re able to figure out a way to get out of Araneta. We were allowed to stay inside. The organizers told us that they’ll be calling a police to escort us out of the Araneta. We were all scared of what could possibly happen should we come out by ourselves. Around quarter past 10, a policeman came and escorted us out and guarded us until we were able to find cab. We split into 2 groups since cabs can only take a maximum of 4 passengers. We went straight to Ateneo for us to be secured. We made sure that no one was able to follow us. While on our way to Ateneo, one of my company said, “Well bonded na tayo. Ibang experience ‘to.” I simply said, “Oo nga.”

It was one hell of an experience for all of us. A lot of lessons learned. A lot of emotions felt. Brotherhood realized with those alumni. Ateneans sticking to their principles. We fought against the system which eats the weak. We all stood as better men and women after this day.

Note: We got ourselves 2 Upper B tickets each. The group of men who were forced to leave the line were about 7. Upper B tickets are sold for Php 2000 each by scalpers so that’d be a 14,000 Peso loss for the scalpers. The 6 of us are still in danger in Cubao. Need to be really careful come game day. Gonna post an entry after that day to let everyone know I still exist. I always see the person I named “Master Scalper in Ateneo Shirt” every game day. There was this guy (he was gay) in front of us also wearing an Ateneo shirt who “proxied” Ken Baraccoso. My friend, T-Jay, told me that the guy always watches games and is an avid supporter of Jobe. Game 2 of the Finals is on Thursday, Sept 25, 2008. Awarding of individual awards will start at 3:30 pm and game 2 of the finals starts at 4 pm.