Wishing to be able to have sufficient time to spare prior to the 21k gun start of Globe “Run For Home” I left my place at 4:00am today 19Jul09 and headed for Fort Bonifacio. By 4:15am I and Jun Martinez were already within the vicinity of Bonifacio High Street and there were already a great number of participants who have arrived earlier than us which was a clear indication of a well attended race event.
As I was approaching the cashier parking booth at the parking area just at the back of ROX, a Globe security personnel approached me and asked if I am a “GLOBE VIP” I said “no I was not” and the Globe Security said that I cannot park my car on the said parking area as it is primarily reserved for “GLOBE VIP”. I tried to hold my cool as much as possible and asked the following questions;
1. Is the parking area “pre-paid by Globe? (answer) No it was not.
2. What constitute a “Globe VIP” (answer) Executives of Globe and their guests holding parking stabs.
One beauty in the sport of running is that all are equal, rich, poor, executives, students, working class, unemployed and what have you. Everyone has a fixed distance to traverse. It is between you and the road. I have as well participated on so many local road races in the past two years and NEVER have I seen a RESERVE PARKING FOR VIP . In this issue, parking fee will still be paid for by the so called “VIP” and the only purpose of the word “VIP” is that they can come late and not bother to find their own parking space.
I told the Globe Security who were about five (5) men that I am insisting my public right to go inside the parking as I am a paying registered runner and that the parking area was not “pre-paid” by Globe. Should they (Globe) want, they can tow away my van. I asked the cashier to issue me a parking ticket, who at first does not want to issue one without approval from her superiors. In the end the girl issued a piece of paper attest that my van is parked on the area.
To make matters worst and fan more my anger on the issue, upon completing my 21k run I was surprised to see that the parking area was only occupied by about 20 cars (the parking area can easily accommodate 100 cars). The parking area was UNUSED and in the process did not earn the revenue it could have easily gotten from other participants who were looking for a parking area.
Just before I was about to leave, I saw VINCE MENDOZA and showed him the parking area and the problem on the VIP PARKING. Vince reply was that he could not himself understand the action of GLOBE for such an action.
To GLOBE I wish to remind that you are a “Customer Driven” corporation and the priority to you should be the “customer”. On this case, I/we, have duly paid for to participate in the race and we are entitled to all the amenities that goes with the race. I am sure that such an idea of a VIP PARKING RESERVATION is beyond the knowledge of your high executives as these people are well known in the industry to be humble and human who are not ashamed to fall in line and be given the same treatment as any Juan or Maria. In the end, what have you accomplished? The parking area was “UNUSED” which could have easily been used by your “paying customer” and avoided any inconvenience in looking for other parking area even though they came early for the race.
I hope that GLOBE will have a good explanation on this matter. On the part of FINISHLINE, I have already shown firsthand the issue to VINCE MENDOZA which I hope that as organizers they will be able to advise their sponsors on future races the norm and the importance of “First Come First Serve” principle and that in running all men are equal regardless of financial or education attainment.
