Rabiya Mateo has addressed allegations that she and her boyfriend, Jeric Gonzales, attended IU’s concert in Bulacan without purchasing tickets and demanded VIP treatment.
The controversy erupted when a Facebook fan account, “Hyein’s modeling agency,” accused an unnamed celebrity couple of entering the Philippine Arena without paying for their tickets and insisting on VIP seats. Though the couple was not explicitly named, a screenshot of Gonzales’ Instagram story was shared in the comments, leading to speculation about their identity.
Responding to the now-deleted post on her Instagram Story, Mateo clarified the situation, stating, “We bought the tickets for P12,000 each. Just like everyone else, we worked very hard to afford the tickets and never demanded any VIP treatment. We appreciate the ushers for helping us find our seats.”
Mateo further explained that the administrator of the fan account had apologized for the misleading post, which was based on hearsay. “We’ve been scammed the first time we tried to buy these tickets. Just like everyone else, we had a hard time looking for available tickets,” she explained, emphasizing that they faced the same difficulties as other concert-goers.
“Contrary to what most of you think, walang artista-artista sa paghahanap,” she stressed, highlighting that even celebrities experience the same challenges in securing tickets.
The Miss Universe Philippines 2020 titleholder also urged her followers to be cautious about believing everything they read online. “While others are quick to make assumptions without getting their facts right, it shows how people believe what they see online,” she noted. “Not everything you read is true. Not everything you see is real. Not everything you hear should be posted online at the expense of other people. However, we have laws to protect the innocent and punish those who are guilty.”
The fan account issued an apology on Facebook, acknowledging their mistake in posting about Mateo’s concert experience without verifying facts. “I acted on impulse and didn’t mean any harm to the said couple. I posted it as an awareness to my fellow K-pop fans who fought hard and worked hard to buy the tickets,” they stated, promising to improve future posts and urging the public to refrain from throwing hateful comments at both Mateo and Gonzales.
IU visited the Philippines as part of her H.E.R.E.H. World Tour, which began in Seoul on March 2 and will conclude in September.
