As some of you may recall, a photo of a rider’s lounge in a mall occupied by people who are not delivery drivers made the rounds recently, sparking a debate on courtesy and reading comprehension within the Philippines.
The original photo featured a lounge in a mall, identified as SM City Santa Rosa in Laguna, labeled with a big, fat “Rider’s Lounge” sign at the entrance, but was filled with people who converged in groups and brought their laptops out. Meanwhile, a single delivery rider was standing to the side and checking his phone, with no space left for him to get settled.
After the photo went viral, the mall’s management apparently felt the need to take action — by cordoning off the section and assigning a security guard to man the area.
Reddit user u/hirosheen posted before and after images of the lounge, comparing the original photo with a new one — which now shows the area blocked off and a lone guard standing by the entrance.
The mall’s solution to the problem earned mixed reactions among people online.
“Unnecessary need of a guard in that area if people can read. But oh well…,” u/AzureYukiPoo said.
“They can read. They just don’t care,” u/baymax18 responded.
Yet others said that while the measure may seem extreme, it is an effective countermeasure against people who don’t follow the rules.
“I guess it works? One thing I’ve noticed with us Filipinos is that we don’t have regard for rules when no one’s watching. We need to be babysat just to have order,” u/xniccru said.
“This is innate to Filipinos in the Philippines where there are no repercussions for not following the rule [or] law. Case in point, Pinoys know how to follow rules when they are abroad such as in Singapore where you can’t just spit anywhere,” u/IComeInPiece chimed in.
