Team DailyPedia
A Senate deliberation on the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) veered into viral territory after Senators Raffy Tulfo and Imee Marcos zeroed in on the high price of international concert tickets in the Philippines—particularly those for British band Coldplay.
During the session, Sen. Raffy Tulfo questioned why Coldplay’s concert tickets were significantly more expensive in Manila compared to other countries.
“Coldplay Band? Noong pumunta ang Coldplay Band sa Korea ang halaga ng ticket nila doon ay P5,085. Pero nang pumunta sa Pilipinas ginawang triple—P15,000,” Tulfo said. “Again, palaging nangunguna ang Pilipinas sa pinakamahal na concert tickets… Ayaw kong lamang tayo, dapat patas. This is something that DTI [should] look into.”
Sen. Imee Marcos agreed with Tulfo’s call for an investigation but sparked strong reactions after commenting on the band’s relevance.
“Sang-ayon po tayo dyan na huwag tayo naiisahan lagi. Tinataga naman ‘yung kabataan lalo,” Marcos said. “‘Yung Coldplay ay di dapat ganyan kamahal, medyo laos na rin sila eh, naabutan ko pa ‘yun eh, kaya sana mas mura ng kaunti.”
The remark quickly drew backlash from fans online, with many insisting that Coldplay remains globally successful and far from “laos.”
Among the top reactions: “Coldplay is Coldplay madam. Legend na yan.” “Sure ka manang na Coldplay laos??? Try mo muna mag research bago ka mag comment ti laos manang.” “Sigurado ka laos na? Baka si Frank Sinatra o si Tom Jones nasa isip mo.” “Highest grossing concert of all time in 2024–2025 is definitely not laos.” “Mukhang mali ka jan madam. Coldplay is still on tour at sold out lagi ticket nyan.”
Sen. Tulfo also criticized the DTI for failing to monitor official ticket retailers and prevent scalping, citing instances where fans were forced to pay exorbitant markups for sold-out shows.
He referenced the BLACKPINK concert in Bulacan, where VIP tickets costing ₱19,500 were reportedly resold for ₱60,000.
Tulfo noted that scalpers circumvent systems by creating multiple online accounts, allowing them to bulk-buy tickets ahead of genuine fans.
He urged the DTI to partner with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to identify and stop these activities through digital surveillance.
As budget sponsor, Sen. Imee Marcos acknowledged that under the present Consumer Protection Act, scalping falls under customer-to-customer transactions and is therefore not clearly regulated.
Tulfo rejected this explanation, insisting that a solution must be found to protect Filipino consumers from predatory pricing and unfair practices.
The senator also cited other concerts, including that of BTS member J-Hope, where ticket prices were significantly higher in the Philippines compared to neighboring Asian countries. For fans, the discussion reflects long-standing concerns about why Filipinos often face some of the most expensive concert tickets in Asia, despite lower average income levels.
