For friends and fellow congressmen: Pacquiao spends P220 million on fight tickets

Manny Pacquiao spent $5 million, or nearly P220 million, for tickets he could give away to supporters for his fight against Floyd Mayweather on May 2 (May 3 PHL time).

The Filipino ring icon made the revelation in an exclusive report by Lei Alviz that aired on Friday on GMA-7's "24 Oras."

According to Pacquiao, he has allocated the tickets for friends, members of Team Pacquiao, and fellow members of the House of Representatives, where he serves as congressman of Sarangani province.

Tickets for the much-awaited mega-fight finally went public on Thursday. Only a limited number of tickets were made available to the public, with the rest distributed among the camps of Mayweather and Pacquiao, venue host MGM Grand Arena, and sponsors.

Prices for the tickets on sale to the public ranged from $1,500 to $7,500 and are reselling for thousands more online.

While the tickets may have cost him a pretty penny, Pacquiao is set for the biggest payday of his life, with some estimates pegging his gross at $100 million. -- JST, GMA News