Filipino Time': Is It Time To Change This Tardy Tradition And Unfair Name?

Do you know the Philippines officially observes "National Time Consciousness Week" during the first week of January? I believe it's a moment of reflection on our collective relationship with time.

- WILSON LEE FLORES

Proclaimed under Republic Act No. 10535 in 2013, the initiative aims to nudge us Filipinos toward punctuality. But is this effort a Sisyphean task or a timely intervention? (I must confess, this writer has often in the past been guilty of this bad habit.)

Let's unpack the humor, history and hope wrapped in our so-called "Filipino Time."

A Legacy Of Lateness

The term "Filipino Time" was allegedly coined by American colonizers when they conquered our archipelago in the 1900s, and it has long been associated with a casual disregard for punctuality. However, during the Spanish colonial era, do you know tardiness was not just a habit—it was even (shockingly!) a status symbol?

Dr. José Rizal highlighted this in El Filibusterismo novel, where a latecomer to a theater performance exuded the arrogance of someone asserting their superiority through lateness.

The more laid-back Spaniards bequeathed us with the "mañana" habit, the art of procrastination wrapped in shrugs and promises to get it done tomorrow. Add to this our soporific tropical and often humid climate, which seemingly invites a leisurely pace, and—voilà—a cultural cocktail of lateness emerges.

Even our own history is peppered with infamous anecdotes. In 1949, President Elpidio Quirino arrived two hours late to receive an honorary degree at Fordham University in New York City. By the time he arrived at 4 p.m., much of the audience had already left. Talk about a missed opportunity!

When Time Stood Still