Albay rep wants SG to explain exclusivity clause for Taylor Swift concert

MANILA — A House of Representatives lawmaker on Wednesday demanded an explanation from Singapore over its reported "exclusivity clause" that allegedly prevented superstar Taylor Swift from holding her "Eras Tour" concert in other Southeast Asian countries.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, House Ways and Means Committee chair, requested the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to send a note verbale to the Singaporean Embassy for an explanation of the alleged "exclusivity terms" in the grant given by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) to AEG Presents, the production company that brought Swift to Singapore.

“Some $3 million in grants were allegedly given by the Singapore government to AEG to host the concert in Singapore. The catch was that they do not host it elsewhere in the region,” Salceda claimed.

If true, Salceda said, it "isn’t what good neighbors do."

“I give it to them that the policy worked. Regional demand for Singaporean hotels and airlines was up 30 percent over the period. I estimate that the exclusivity term caused an increase in industry revenues by $60 million. So, the grant produced 30 times more in economic activity," Salceda said.

"But it was at the expense of neighboring countries, which could not attract their own foreign concert-goers, and whose fans had to go to Singapore," he said.

"It also runs contrary to the principle of consensus-based relations and solidarity on which the ASEAN was founded."

Last week, Singapore addressed the rumor and confirmed providing a grant to help bring Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour to the city-state, the solo Southeast Asian stop for the pop-icon.

"Our countries are good friends. That’s why actions like that hurt," Salceda said.

Salceda said the event should be a wake up call for the Philippines to "step up" its game with regard to trade.

“In the long run, though, we need to up our game. That is what agencies like the Tourism Promotions Board were made for,” Salceda said.