One of the benefits of being a person with disability (PWD) in this country, aside from the discounts and priority when it comes to queueing, is that preferential parking spot.
That parking spot, which is usually extra wide and closest to the entrances of commercial establishments, is usually symbolized by a white outline of a wheelchair on a blue background. It is designed as such because it allows PWDs and senior citizens with mobility issues easier access to their vehicles. It is extra wide to allow wheelchairs to be loaded and it is extra close to the entrance/exit so those with wheelchairs don’t have to go so far from their parking spot to their destination.
The key word here, as far as those special parking slots are concerned, is the wheelchair and what it symbolizes. It is there for that subset of PWDs who have mobility requirements, and in an ideal world, it is those people who should be given priority when it comes to its usage.
The problem in most Philippine towns and cities is that there are no explicit rules when it comes to those special parking slots, so it is very prone to misuse and abuse, by both perfectly mobile PWDs and even the occasional non-PWD animals. Its super-convenient and prime location in a parking lot makes it coveted and the total lack of rules when it comes to usage has become a source of frustration, conflict, and even judgement.
All this would be solved if only there was a system of issuing special PWD parking tags for screened and authorized vehicles, with the appropriate and necessary penalties for those who insist on using those parking slots without the necessary tags. I don’t know why that seems so hard to do, but my guess is that as far as the LGU and the commercial establishment is concerned, the fact that there are such parking slots provided is already considered an achievement and they don’t really want to bother with doing too much to make sure that the intended purpose is achieved.
The way I see it, such parking tags or stickers, which should be prominently displayed on the vehicle to indicate that it is authorized to use such parking slots, could be issued to PWDs by the government agency responsible for them. It would even be better if not all PWDs were given the tags, but only those who qualify, meaning those who use wheelchairs or mobility aids, since not all PWDs are mobility-challenged and as such, I’m pretty sure that they are willing to give up that one benefit for those PWDs that need it more than them. This ensures that the wheelchair symbol remains an accurate representation of the purpose of the special parking slot.
The presence of parking tags will also prevent judgement and discrimination on people who use the parking spot without any outward signs of disability, as the display of a tag means they have applied for it and have been screened by the issuing authority as deserving of one. What is happening right now is that tagless cars are parking on PWD slots, and nobody knows if the ones taking the slot are simply ignorant and abusive Pinoys or real PWDs who just don’t look like PWDs and are judged as the former because there is no outward proof that they deserve to use the reserved parking area.
To be honest, every time I see a car pull into a vacant PWD parking slot, my guess is that its 50 percent legit and 50 percent asshole. And apologies in advance to all PWDs who use that parking, but if the person exiting the vehicle doesn’t look PWD, then my judgement meter leans toward the asshole end very quickly. It’s not that I want the parking space because as a non-PWD, I would never consider parking there, but it is the lack of consideration for those who truly need that parking that really grinds my gears. They could be legit PWD for all I know, but because there is no proof, we cannot help but judge them unfairly, and that is why those tags are helpful for the legitimate PWDs.
As for the people who pretend to be blind and use those parking slots, even if they are not PWDs, or are card-carrying but mild PWDs who are relatively mobile and can benefit from the extra exercise, we can only hope and pray that they somehow still become considerate citizens one of these days. But because we all know that there is no way they will stop their current behavior unless an ordinance is enacted and strictly enforced, all we can do now in the absence of government intervention is to hope and pray.*
