It was late afternoon, and I couldn’t sit still. I told my mom I was going for a walk, I just needed to isolate myself and be invisible, anonymous, audienceless. Just me, my thoughts, and the twenty pesos in my jean pocket. Good enough for fishballs and sago’t gulaman.
The moment I stepped out our gate, I had no plans – i just needed to walk. I wandered aimlessly until I reached Philsports Arena (Ultra), which was just outside our village. A gridlock of cars filled the street with honking, and people were weaving through the traffic. I walked faster, trying to pass the area and was slowed down by the crowds forming outside. I wondered why there were so many people. And oh, there was an event. Something big was happening.
I tried to avoid the people and move forward, but a guy called out and tapped my arm. “Miss, may ticket ka na? Meron ako dito, 500 na lang! Madaming banda! May seats pa!”
All around me, people were locked in negotiations with scalpers – such a chaotic market of haggling and side deals. I craned my neck to catch a glimpse of a sign, finally realizing why everyone was so desperate to get in. It was an MTV event. That would have been nice to get into.
One of the scalpers saw me checking out the sign. “450 na lang ate? Kahit 400. May kasama ka ba? Eto na, 400 na lang para sa’yo. Kunin mo na! Kakasimula lang!”
I looked at him and gave a small smile. “Salamat, pero hindi po ako kukuha.”
I was stuck, another ongoing transaction was blocking my way. Tried to walk on the side just to get through but i saw the scalper following me, not giving up just yet.
“…Sige, bigay ko na sa’yo ng 380? Kunin mo na, sayang!“
I smiled and just held my hand up to pass on the offer. The guy was still trying to sell me a possibly overpriced ticket and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I told the guy, “Kuya, marami pang bibili niyan. Unahin mo na sila. Dumadaan lang ako.”
I took a deep breath and scanned the crowd for the fastest way through. Until finally i was farther away and could barely see the place.
From there, I lost track of time, following the road deep into my thoughts until the street turned dark and empty. Oops. I retreated; I had to stay in a safe and well lit zone. So I made my way back to where the people were. I found a quiet spot, and stayed for a while, watching people pass me by. Alone with my thoughts, just how i wanted it. By the time I started heading home, the arena perimeter had thinned out. I was scouting for fishball and samalamig cart when the same scalper called out to me again.
“Ate, nakakuha ka na ba ng ticket? Kunin mo na itong ticket! 250!… o sige, maski 200 na lang!”
I smiled and shook my head.
“Sige na, mura na ito! Sayang! Para makauwi na ako.”
I held my palm up to pass up on the offer. “Boss, bente lang meron ako dito.”
He hesitated. “Kahit isang daan na lang? Sige na, 100 na lang!”
I could sense his desperation. “Twenty pesos, Kuya,” I said firmly. That was not just a statement. That was a statement of account.
“Kahit 50 na lang?”
We were so far from his initial price that it was becoming absurd. I dug into my pocket and fished out a crumpled twenty-peso bill, my fishball fund. I waved it like a white flag, proof that I wasn’t playing hard to get; that was really all i had at that time. Unless he was that desperate—otherwise, I just wanted him to leave me alone.
“Twenty pesos. ‘Di ako nagbibiro. Eto lang talaga laman ng bulsa ko,” I said, already turning to walk away.
He let out a long, defeated sigh. “Teka, teka… sige, eto. Maski bente na lang.” He looked exhausted, probably because the show was already halfway through and his window of customers had closed.
He slapped the ticket into my palm before I could say anything. I slowly handed him the money on autopilot, while trying to process what I was doing. I wasn’t haggling – I hadn’t even intended to go. I stared at the red card in my hand, slowly recalibrating my plans for the next few hours. I didn’t know the actual cost or value of the ticket in my hand, but I was now in possession of an MTV Pilipinas Music Awards 2004 entrance ticket, for the price of a few sticks of fishballs. Well, this is a first for me, buying a ticket from a scalper.
Whatever the universe has in store for me tonight, i hoped it wasn’t about getting scammed off my fishball money. I headed to the entrance, half-expecting the guard to laugh at my scalped and possibly fake ticket. Instead, he gave it a quick inspection and waved me through. He gave me directions to the Gen Ad area. Just like that, I was at the MTV Pilipinas Music Awards. In jeans, my pambahay shirt, and my sandugo sandals.
There I was. General Admission, a sea of screaming teenagers with too much energy. Everyone was losing their minds, and I was just standing there in the middle of it, slightly annoyed by the raucousness of the area, but amused at where I ended up. It was the total opposite of quiet; I could barely hear my own thoughts. I found a spot near the railing with a sweeping view of the arena, though the stage seemed miles away. Surrounded by shrill screams, I reminded myself I couldn’t be choosy. After all, this moment only cost me the price of a large sago’t gulaman. Might as well make the most of it.
The rest of the night was a blur of lights, but it was easily the best twenty pesos I’d ever spent. Yup, I was alone, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the show. I found myself singing along to some of the performances—I couldn’t recall them all, though. I saw Sarah Geronimo, one of my longtime favorites, and then came the big moment: they announced the Favorite New Artist. It was Bamboo.
The crowd erupted, chanting the name until the walls shook. As they took the stage, I couldn’t help but smile. No one in that screaming crowd would have believed me if I told them I’d watched this same band perform in a studio earlier that year—with me as the only person in the room (other than the sound engineer, Angie Rozul).
Whatever I had been moping about earlier didn’t seem to matter anymore. After the show, I lingered by the parking area, hoping for a glimpse of Sugarfree, Parokya ni Edgar or Rivermaya. No luck, but it didn’t matter.
When I got home, my mom asked, “Oh, saan ka nanggaling? Naiwan mo wallet mo!”
I paused, not even knowing where to begin.
“Would you believe nanood ako ng MTV Awards sa halagang bente pesos?“
