Funny photos of online shoppers who pose for their “proofs of parcel” became part of the meme world in international internet communities.
Filipinos developed the habit to shop online due to the continuous lockdowns and quarantine phases in the country.
As an added safety measure, some couriers and merchants require photos of the parcel or the recipients as proof that packages were delivered.
While others take ID-style photos, some Filipinos got creative and used the new rule as an opportunity for magazine- and Instagram-style photoshoots.
A collection of these photos, which were gathered from public Facebook accounts, were later posted by a Facebook page called Our Asians, an online community that posts about Asian culture, on March 21.
“In the Philippines, pictures are required to prove that packages are actually delivered,” the post read.
It has since made rounds more than 10,000 times on the social networking site and earned over 6,100 reactions.
Last week, this post got picked up by 9gag, a Hong Kong-based platform where users around the world shared memes, stories and edited videos.
With the title “People in the Philippines take proof of delivery to a new level,” the write-up received 3,539 points on the website.
In the comments section, 9gag users also found this Philippine trend hilarious. Some comments even praised the local recipients for the creativity in times of crisis.
One Reddit user later saw this article and shared a screenshot of it under the subreddit meme community on March 25.
The r/meme has over 15 million members with more than 120,000 active ones on average.
The user quipped that another e-commerce website should require the same material from their deliveries.
“Amazon should do this,” the user said.
As of writing, it has more than 28,000 votes and 394 comments.
Prior to this e-commerce platform Shopee last March 12 recognized these clients and dubbed them “Shopee user of the week.”
“Ang mga nagwaging proof of delivery poses,” the online shopping platform’s post read.
“‘Yung di alam ng barangay niyong may naka-schedule pala na photoshoot sa labas ng bahay ninyo,” it also said.
Photoshoot trend
It was Filipino vlogger Michelle Fox or Vavaeng Marangal who started the photoshoot-style challenge called #vavaengmarangalchallenge last November 2020.
These witty and artistic shots were captured by Facebook users who joined the fun social media challenge last year.
In November 2020, another online shopper named Joyceeh Hernandez Epino tried to create her own social media trend.
She created a “Natanggap ko na” studio backdrop to use every time delivery staff requires her photos taken as proofs of delivery.
In an interview with GMA News, Epino stated that her goal was to spread positivity amid the pandemic and other national concerns.
“In the spirit of spreading love and good vibes in a nation torn by political divide, natural disasters, global pandemic and a plethora of social issues…GORA! LAVERN! Yun naman po ang intention ko sa post. Mabawasan ang HATE sa mundo at mapasalamatan ang mga frontliners nating delivery men,” she was quoted as saying.