The police yesterday arrested five alleged scalpers selling tickets to fans gathered at the Araneta Coliseum to witness the start of the basketball square-off between archrivals Ateneo Blue Eagles and La Salle Green Archers.
The suspects are facing charges under a city ordinance filed by no less than the head coach of the De La Salle University, Franz Pumaren, who is also a councilor of Quezon City's third district.
Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, chief of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU), identified the suspects as Ferdinand Salantes, 31; Willy Javier, 43; Vicente Defensor, 49; Richard Crisostomo, 31; and Rudy Nalangan, 27.
Inspector Roberto Razon said the suspects were selling for an average of P1,500 each general admissions tickets originally priced at P70 each.
Razon said the suspects, who were arrested by policemen who posed as ticket buyers, were seen roaming around the entrance gates of Araneta Coliseum discreetly looking for prospective buyers.
“They were claiming that they only got the tickets from people who bought tickets more than what they needed. They said they were just asked to resell those tickets,” Razon told The STAR in an interview.