“Common courtesy is not so common nowadays.”
A lawmaker would file a bill that would penalize standing in parking slots following the prevalence of people standing on them for reservations.
The office of Rep. Perci Cendaña of the Akbayan party-list said he would propose the “Mindful Parking Bill” which would prohibit such practice and aim to ensure that parking slots are available for all motorists.
The proposed measure aims to penalize individuals for every violation and would cancel the driver’s license for repeat offenders, if they have one.
Cendaña’s office said that the “Mindful Parking Bill” follows a 2023 ordinance in Marikina City with the same principle.
Marikina’s Ordinance No. 002 (series of 2023) notes that reserving public and private parking spaces by standing on them or purposefully blocking other vehicles from parking on them is prohibited.
It includes parking in malls, shopping centers, bazaars, market zone and other commercial establishments, schools and other learning facilities, churches and other religious institutions, restaurants and other food establishments, street parkings, banks and other financial institutions, hospitals, medical centers, clinics, and government centers.
Violating the ordinance means a fine of P1,000 or an eight-hour community service for the offender.
Meanwhile, Cendaña thought of filing the “Mindful Parking Bill” following recent viral posts featuring individuals reserving parking slots by standing on them and blocking other vehicles.
“Sadly, common courtesy is not so common nowadays. Imbes na magbigayan, nagiging agawan na lang ang pagkuha ng mapaparkingan,” he said in a statement.
“Like all activities in life, ayaw natin ng may lamangan. Car owners and drivers should follow basic rules not just when their car is on the road, but also off the road,” the lawmaker added.
Cendaña also urged motorists to avoid heated disagreements over “simple” things like parking slots and let cooler heads prevail.
“It’s understandable na may maiinis sa mga ganitong gawain pero ‘wag sana tayong mag-away para lamang sa ganitong kasimpleng bagay. Mas mabuting maging mahinahon o di kaya iabot na lang ang reklamo sa mga parking attendants or kinauukulang awtoridad,” he said.
Parking ‘reservation’
Last November 2, videos of an older woman yelling at another woman for standing over a parking slot in a Las Piñas cemetery went viral.
Reports said the older woman wanted to park in the slot, but the younger woman stood her ground and insisted she was reserving the space for her friends who were on their way. Her companions allegedly included seniors and children.
Another Facebook user claimed the younger woman, 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.
More recent instances of individuals reserving parking spaces have been posted on different Facebook pages like “Parkeserye,” which include two people reserving a slot in SM City North Edsa, an individual reserving in Robinsons Magnolia, and a parking slot being reserved with a container, among others.
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Parking spaces are usually on a first-come, first-serve basis if there are no rules or guidelines about reservations in the area.
Otherwise, slots are usually reserved with signages, a cone, or a pylon by management or authorities concerned.
The first-come, first-served concept refers to the vehicle nearest 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.
MMDA division training unit head Edison Nebrija previously said that standing on parking slots is not in line with parking regulations.
“A parking slot is reserved for a vehicle, hindi sa tao… Tatandaan po natin na ang parking na ‘yan, whether private or public, is first come, first serve,” he said in a 2019 interview before.