Was it really a case of “reserved parking?”
A photo of a group of people standing in what seemed to be a parking space at a shopping mall in Laguna caught the attention of social media users.
On Friday, January 10, the Facebook page “Parkeserye,“ which shares reader-submitted photos of improper parking habits, posted an image showing eight people standing in a parking spot at SM City Calamba.
“Punuan parking, reserved sila, hehe,” the page said, earning 37,000 laughing reactions, 2,700 comments, and 2,200 shares so far.
Some Filipinos also chided the group in the comments section, calling them out for supposedly reserving the parking spot.
The photo was also posted on Reddit, where an online user claimed to have seen the group.
“Nakita namin sila ng asawa ko sa SM nung December. Mukha silang bagong luwas from probinsya, something like that. Kami ng mister ko nagsabi sa guard,” one Redditor alleged in the r/Philippines subreddit.
“Then pinaalis sila at pumasok silang lahat sa mall. Baka akala nila tambayan ‘yung spot na yun. Ewan ko. Hindi sila ‘yung mga typical na itsura (entitled ang dating) na nagpapa-reserve ng spot sa parking. Kahit kami ng asawa ko, no idea kung ano ginagawa nila dun,” the online user added.
Other online users backed up the sentiment, claiming that the group does not appear to have an “air of arrogance around them at all.”
“They look like they were genuinely just there, waiting. They even look quite, well, unfamiliar, with the place. It’s good that they went inside the mall, though,” a Redditor commented.
Parking space reservers gained attention again last year when individuals were spotted standing in vacant parking spots to reserve them for their vehicles.
The practice became so widespread that a lawmaker filed a bill to ban it, arguing that it “violates common courtesy and the basic principle of first-come, first-served parking.”
Under the bill, offenders would face penalties, including fines and possible suspension or revocation of their driver’s license.
In parking areas, the first-come, first-served principle is the norm — meaning, the vehicle that arrives first has the right to the space.
RELATED: ‘Common courtesy is not so common’: Bill filed to penalize holding parking slots | ‘Becoming a bad habit’: Parking slot reservers spotted with shopping cart
