Is reserving parking slots by standing on them becoming the norm?
A Facebook page uploaded a photo of two individuals reserving parking slots in a shopping mall in Quezon City.
Parkeserye, which posts reader-submitted photos of improper parking habits, shared a picture allegedly taken at a parking slot in SM City North Edsa.
“Nag-usap kaya sila? 2 [two] parking slots, may nakatayo. SM North parking,” the page said on Sunday, November 3.
The photo featured two women separately standing in the center of parking slots.
The post has earned 41,000 laugh reactions, 4,400 comments, and 3,600 shares on the platform, with some Filipinos airing their disappointment at the practice.
This included content creator and car enthusiast Macoy Dubs, who poked fun at the “reservers” in the comments.
“Prior to tonight, you are asked to prepare a lip sync performance to the song ‘Stupid Girls’ from Pink’s 4th [fourth] studio album in 2006, ‘I’m Not Dead’. Available on Spotify and iTunes. The time has come, to lip sync fo yo life! Good luck and don’t FVCK it up,” he wrote, referencing some lines from the show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
“Sana may mga roving guard mga mall parking na pagsabihan mga ganyang tao,” another Facebook user commented, referring to the post.
“Grabehan na talaga. Mas kawawa sila kasi hinahayaan sila ng mga partner nila na tumayo [diyan]. What if may psycho na willing silang araruhin for that parking spot,” a different Pinoy wrote.
Over the weekend, a video featuring a similar incident went viral on social media.
It featured a woman in a pink top who stood in a parking slot while an older woman from a nearby vehicle yelled at her for refusing to move.
Reports said the older woman wanted to park in the slot, but the woman in pink stood her ground and insisted that she was reserving the space for her friends who were on their way. Her companions allegedly included seniors and children.
Another Facebook user claimed that the woman in pink, who she said was a car sales agent, refused to give them the parking slot despite the presence of the former’s vehicle in the area.
“Story time naman namin? Kasi kwento mo ‘yan eh. Tatlong sasakyan kami family. ‘Yung tito ko una mong pinaalis. So nung bumaba na kami, expect mo kalmado pa rin kami sa’yo? Daming lumapit sa’ming iba’t-ibang tao, sinasabi kanina ka pa hindi nagpapa-park. Binili mo?” the online user wrote.
The incident happened at Golden Haven Memorial Park in Las Piñas City on All Souls Day last November 2.
A car accessories chain reposted the video, which said: “PSA [PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT]: YOU CANNOT STAND IN A PARKING SPOT TO RESERVE IT!”
Parking slots are generally on a first-come, first-served basis if there are no rules or guidelines about parking reservations in the area.
Slots are usually reserved with signages, a cone, or a pylon.
Meanwhile, the first-come, first-serve concept refers to the vehicle that is nearest to the parking slot and the driver who arrives first.
It is common courtesy to give the parking slot to the car that is nearest and was the first to stop in front of or near it.