‘Mag-adjust sa poste’: Quips and online buzz over odd placement of PWD ramps

September 9, 2022 - 2:46 PM
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PWD sign at a parking space via Pixabay

Two photos showing ramps for persons with disabilities (PWD) which were blocked by posts made buzz on social media.

Both photos were uploaded by Visor Philippines, a mobility-based news publication.

The first one was shared on September 6.

It showed a PWD ramp that directly leads to a post placed in the middle of a narrow sidewalk.

Visor noted that the photo was taken in Santa Rosa in Laguna. It did not indicate any uploader’s name.

“Hello sa mga PWD sa Santa Rosa, Laguna,” the post reads.

The post garnered 9,600 reactions, 1,400 comments and 3,200 shares on the platform so far.

A Redditor also posted this snapshot on the online forum r/Philippines on the same day.

“Urban planning for PWDs at Santa Rosa, Laguna,” the user said.

The PWD ramp photo later caught the attention of some social media users.

Some of them poked fun at its location. They juxtaposed it with platform 9 3/4, the magical train station in the Harry Potter franchise where students board to get to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

“Plot twist: parang Platform 9 3/4 lang iyan. Kapag dumaan ka diyan, automatic teleport sa destination mo,” one Redditor said.

“Local version of platform 9 3/4,” another user said.

Other users, meanwhile, quipped that the wheelchair and the PWD were the ones to adjust for the post.

“Naaawa ako dun sa poste, baka mabangga ng wheelchair,” one user said.

“Kawawa naman yung PWD mag-aadjust pa sa poste,” another user said.

“Lumiliit po ang wheel chair pagdating sa poste,” another user joked.

On September 8, Visor also posted another photo that showed the access ramp installed directly in front of a wall.

On the post, it was indicated that the photo was submitted by Facebook user Zelistine Bautista.

“Ang bright talaga natin,” the post reads with a face-palm emoji.

The post has since garnered 1,400 reactions, 285 comments and 163 shares.

Facebook users similarly likened this area to Harry Potter’s popular train platform based on their comments under it.

Under both posts, users also expressed criticisms of the government officials in charge of installing the ramps.

“Ganito kasama ang urban planning ng bansa natin. Hindi manlang naisip ng mga nakaraan nating mga liders ang kahaharapin problema sa pag dating ng panahon. Sayang ang fund na ginamit sa mga project ginawa,” one Facebook user said.

“This is the result of ‘public’ servants hiding inside the comfort of their various offices,” another online user commented.

Sidewalks, ramps and other public infrastructures are required to install PWD-friendly facilities as stated under Accessibility Law and the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.

RELATED: Filipinos call for PWD-friendly facilities, spaces amid viral photo

In section 1, business entities, educational institutions and other establishments are required to install “such architectural facilities or structural features as shall reasonably enhance the mobility of disabled persons such as sidewalks, ramps, railings and the like.”