To Sampay or Not to Sampay? Viral Twitter Post Starts Debate on How to Be a Good Neighbor

If our ancestors wrote ancient community guidelines on how to be a good neighbor, we’re almost certain this would have been included in the commandments: “Thou shalt not encroach on thy neighbor’s property or hang personal items on thy neighbor’s fence.” One would think it’s common etiquette, but a woman’s viral Twitter post suggests otherwise. So, let’s answer this week’s biggest question: To sampay or not to sampay?

Dear neighbors, one word: Boundaries

My neighbors decided that my new fence was perfect for hanging their laundry & gabi leaves. Amazing. The sense of entitlement. Or is it community?

I spent 92K on that metal fence. 😭

I complained thru our subdivision GC. Sana andun ang salarin. Baka sila pa ang galit sa akin. pic.twitter.com/TLND8MxwiX

— Prof. Jhoanna Lynn Cruz, PhD (@JhoannaLynnCruz) July 8, 2023

Prof. Jhoanna Lynn Cruz, PhD took to Twitter to express her frustration over her neighbors who seem to lack social refinement.

“My neighbors decided that my new fence was perfect for hanging their laundry & gabi leaves. Amazing. The sense of entitlement. Or is it community?” she tweeted. True enough, the attached photo showed three huge towels basking under the sun beside a bunch of gabi leaves.

“I spent 92K on that metal fence,” Cruz adds.

Cruz said that she already “complained through [her] subdivision GC” hoping that the culprit would see the post and get the message.

“Tbh, things like this make me wonder whether it’s the Manila girl in me clashing [with] the Davao culture. Mali ba ako? Ok ba ito sa mga Davaoeño? It’s not even a shared fence,” she mused in a follow-up tweet.

The Internet gives fantastic ideas on how to solve her problem

Cruz’s post went viral, with the audience split between laughing at her predicament (no doubt having experienced a similar one) or shaking their heads at this form of negative Pinoy trait that’s somehow normalized. Many offered hilarious but practical ideas on how to make sure the mystery neighbors don’t do it again.

“Did you take the laundry & gabi leaves?” one Twitter user asked. “Maybe they were some kind of offering to a goddess. You would have been in the right if you took those hangings & waited for the owners. Charge them for storage.”

Another offered great advice: “Keep the towels po. I’m sure they will knock your door looking for their stuff. You’ll know who’s the culprit. Siguro better to talk to them also. Hindi naman sa madamot but it was built for a purpose and that purpose is [definitely] not a sampayan.”

“Lagyan mo ng price para mukhang garage sale. Eme,” offered another.

But one thing’s clear: This behavior is not acceptable

“This is not community. This is encroachment,” replied one Twitter user. “Maybe they can afford to have a drying line but what they can’t afford is respect for other’s property.”

Being a “good” neighbor for the sake of community does not, after all, involve letting your neighbors hang their dirty laundry on your new fence.

“If the fence is entirely within her property and she paid for all the expenses for its construction, then it’s her private property. It doesn’t even look like a party wall. Parang bakod sa harap ng lote niya? So tumawid ng kalsada yung mga kapitbahay para magsampay?” said another.

PSA: This behavior is also NOT normal in the province

One Twitter user who tossed their two cents into the conversation said that the concept of a “bakod” in the province is different in Manila. “Ang bakuran mo ay bakuran rin ng kapitbahay. Na ang dahon ng malunggay sa puno mo ay dahon ng malunggay ng kommunidad. Ngayon kung ikaw ang bagong salta, baka ikaw ang mangilala,” they said in a now-deleted tweet.

This did not sit well with Pinoys online who had to reiterate that encroaching on your neighbor’s property in any form is definitely not normal whether you live in the province or in the city. In Manila, there’s even Ordinance 8752 a.k.a. ‘Tapat Ko-Linis Ko’ which bans clutter in the streets, alleyways, gutters, and sidewalks. “Clutter” includes wet clothes hung to dry. Those who violate the ordinance can be charged Php 5,000 or imprisoned for not more than 30 days.

“Not these supposedly bukid/provincial folks normalizing this kind of practice among Pinoys. It’s NOT. As somebody who grew up in the province, this is actually my first time encountering this. Also this isn’t a sense of entitlement, it’s literally your neighbor’s property??” commented one.

“Spoken like a true mamaru! Dong, di lang ikaw ang tumira ng probinsya. So, dahil bago ka sa lugar, dapat okay lang na gawin kang basahan ng mga kapitbahay? May mangilala ka pang nalalaman,” interjected another.

Do you think hanging items on your neighbor’s fence is a normal thing? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

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