A Law to Stop Filipinos from Being Late Slug: Philippines time Reporter: Madonna Virola Date: 12 June 2013

INTR !ilipinos "o#e that the$ ha%e their o&n sense o' time(((((in realit$ it means the$ are o'ten late( The go%ernment &ants to )hange this )ulture &ith a ne& la&(((that s$n)hroni*ing time in all go%ernment agen)ies( +ut as Madonna Virola reports, it ta#es more than "ust )lo)#s to )hange the -ad ha-it( T./T S!/ 1: 0l-ert in his o''i)e tal#ing &ith an emplo$ee a-out )on)erns on &or# attendan)e 0l-ert 1a-ungal is in )harge o' &or#ers2 attendan)e at the pro%in)ial go%ernment o' riental Mindoro( 0l-ert 1lip 1 3Male, .nglish4: 5I thin# the reason &h$ people thin# it2s 6 'or them to -e late is -e)ause in the &or#pla)e, it2s a))epted, to -e late( 0lthough there is the dedu)tion 3in pa$4, people, espe)iall$ the o''i)e heads, the$ tolerate their su-ordinates -eing late(7 8e sa$s the o''i)e is using 'ingerprint s)anner &here emplo$ers ha%e to log in to and out 'rom &or#((( as a &a$ to stop them 'rom -eing late( +ut this hasn2t -een %er$ su))ess'ul((( 0l-ert 1lip 2 3Male, .nglish4: 5There are loopholes, or &a$s to get a&a$ &ith the s$stem( 9i#e )oming in at ::30 then logging in then going home((( then )oming in at a mu)h later time( 0)tuall$, there2s no per'e)t s$stem, there2s al&a$s )ra)#s in the s$stem(5 .arlier this month, a ne& la& &as passed to tr$ and strop !ilipinos 'rom -eing late( S!/ 2: Presidential spo#esperson 0-igail announ)es passage o' the la& Deput$ Presidential spo#esperson 0-igail Valte announ)ed the ne& la&( 0-igail 1lip 1 3!emale, .nglish4: 5Repu-li) 0)t 10;3; signed on Ma$ 1; -$ the President( This no& sets the Philippines Standard Time( 0ll go%ernment o''i)es, agen)ies, instruments, -ureaus shall no& )oordinate &ith the P0<=0S0 on)e a month to s$n)hroni*e o''i)ial time pie)es and de%i)es(5 0))ording to the la&, the state &eather -ureau &ill determine Philippines Standard Time as a single time re'eren)e 'or all go%ernment agen)ies( This means all go%ernment o''i)es open and )lose at the same time to pro%ide more e''i)ient ser%i)es 'or pu-li)(

The re'eren)e time &ill also -e a%aila-le online through its &e-site( S!/ 3: 'emale announ)er programs in a musi)al greeting program The la& also mandates the National Tele)ommuni)ations 1ommission to re>uire all TV and radio stations to use the standard time( ther&ise, their 'ran)hise )an -e re%o#ed or )an)elled((( along &ith a 'ine o' up to 1,000 ?S dollars( 0s a lo)al radio program dire)tor 1hristian To-illo &el)omes the ne& la&( 1hristian 1lip 1 3Male, Tagalog450s a -road)aster, I 'a%our the Philippines Standard Time -e)ause &e2ll ha%e a )ommon and )orre)t time to gi%e -e)ause people are tuning in to us( I' the PST &ill -e stri)tl$ 'ollo&ed, it )an redu)e tardiness although pun)tualit$ and dis)ipline still depends on a person(5 0nd to gro& a ne& ha-it o' -eing pun)tual, pu-li) s)hools and go%ernment o''i)es &ill hold )ampaigns on the %alue o' time( The go%ernment &ill also pro%ide a pu-li) displa$ o' standard=time de%i)es and de)lare the 'irst &ee# o' e%er$ $ear is also de)lared as National Time 1ons)iousness @ee#( +ut it2s a hard ha-it to -rea#((( 0'ter the la& &as introdu)ed earlier this month, nothing has )hanged in the &or#ers2 attendan)e ha-it sa$s 0l-ert 1a-ungal( 0l-ert 1lip 3 3Male( .nglish4 5I don2t #no& &h$ there is so little in'ormation dissemination &hen the la& &as passed( People are not in'ormed 'or the reason &h$ the$ )reated su)h a la&(((( &hat2s the purpose o' ha%ing this PST(5 S!/ A: Instru)tor Don tal#ing &ith -a)#ground noise o' a street &here he passing -$ Don Bian .n)arna)ion is a Pro'essor o' politi)al s)ien)e at a lo)al )ollege in 1alapan( 8e sa$s it needs more than ne& )lo)#s to -rea# the ha-it( Don 1lip 1 3Male, .nglish4CC5The tardiness itsel' is not merel$ a-out time, -ut more it2s more o' )ulture( .%en i' &e tr$ to adopt or )hange the time, the hours, the da$s, the minutes, i' the mindset o' !ilipinos is I &ill al&a$s -e late, it &on2t do an$thing( +asi)all$, &e need to )hange the )ulture itsel' o' the Philippines(7 0nd to do this, 0l-ert 1a-ung)al sa$s e%er$one must start 'rom onesel'( 0l-ert 1lip A 3Male, .nglish4: 7To set the eDample, $ou must -e the eDample( !or )hange to happen, the person should -e the )hange that he &ants to -e or he &ants to happen(5 !or 0sia 1alling, this is Madonna Virola, reporting 'rom Mindoro Pro%in)e(