Scientists have not confirmed this, but nobody has denied it either
A sprawling Metro Manila shopping mall has been informally declared “probably visible from space” by local residents, a claim that has circulated for years without any actual astronaut, satellite, or scientist ever confirming or denying it.
An Unverified but Beloved Claim
“I’ve heard it my whole life,” said longtime mall-goer Bea Santillan. “Nobody has proven it. Nobody has disproven it. At this point it just feels true, and honestly, given the size of the parking lot, I believe it.”
The mall, which reportedly houses over eight hundred stores, an ice rink, and a chapel, has become such a fixture of daily life that residents describe entire weekends spent inside without once stepping outdoors, a phenomenon locals have nicknamed “mall hibernation.”
A National Pastime
Mall management has neither confirmed nor denied the space-visibility claim, though a spokesperson noted the building’s air conditioning bill “could plausibly generate its own heat signature.”
The London Prat‘s culture desk has documented Britain’s far more modest relationship with its own shopping centres, none of which have ever claimed orbital visibility.
The Manila Times notes the mall remains the single most popular typhoon shelter in the district, unofficially.
Santillan says she plans to keep repeating the claim regardless of evidence. “Some things,” she said, “you just choose to believe.”
Expansion Plans
A new wing is reportedly under construction, which locals have already begun describing as “visible from an even higher orbit.”
Santillan says she has already scouted the new wing on her weekly visit. “I haven’t been outside in two days,” she said, entirely without embarrassment. “Why would I be? Everything I need is right here, and it’s air-conditioned.”
Mall management, when reached for comment on the space-visibility claim, offered only a brief statement: “We neither confirm nor deny. But we do have excellent lighting.”
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SOURCE: https://bohiney.com