Chairman Danilo Lim of the Metro Manila Development Authority reiterated that the complimentary tickets for this year´s Metro Manila Film Festival were not for sale.
“Let me reiterate that the MMFF complimentary tickets are strictly not for sale and there are no persons or groups authorized to distribute it (sic),” said Lim on Christmas Day, the first showing day of the festival.
The MMDA chief came up with the reminder days after a couple were caught selling fake MMDA complimentary passes in Makati City.
The suspects, Hanna Evangelista and Carlo Jaramilla, were caught in possession of hundreds of falsified tickets being sold online for P450 each.
Evangelista said she was just asked by a friend to sell the fake complimentary tickets online.
She claimed she got the tickets from her friend’s cousin and admitted that she knew selling the tickets was illegal but said she wanted to make ends meet for her child.
MMDA Office of the General Manager chief of staff Michael Salalima said it was Chairman Lim who discovered and intercepted such illegal act.
“For the public to watch the eight official entries for this year’s MMFF, the MMDA and the MMFF Secretariat encourage them to only buy tickets from legitimate cinema houses,” Salalima said.
He also said that there were “security features” in each tickets that were difficult to copy and already communicated to various cinemas to intensify their campaign against fake tickets.
According to Lim, there were no individual or group authorized by the MMDA or the MMFF Executive Committee to sell or distribute complimentary passes.
“As overall Chairman of the Metro Manila Film Festival, I strongly condemn the unscrupulous and enterprising individuals who are turning the MMFF into a profitable business venture by selling complimentary tickets,” Lim said.
Lim warned anyone who would be caught selling or buying complimentary tickets, authentic or fake, that they would be dealt with accordingly and shall face the full force of the law.
Further, he warned those who have bought fake tickets from online sellers not to attempt to use those as they would surely be caught and charged criminally.