Greeted the new year too early or too late?
The Department of Science and Technology is encouraging Filipinos to synchronize their watches and clocks with the Philippine Standard Time (PhST) in observance of the National Time Consciousness Week.
The government agency has been reminding the public since December 30 to synchronize their clocks through famous internet memes so that they would all ring in the new year simultaneously.
The Philippines rang in 2024 on Monday, midnight.
Last December 30, it shared pictures of vlogger-actress Ivana Alawi and actress Marian Rivera from Ivana’s vlog content and related it to being tardy at work.
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The following day, on New Year’s Eve, the agency once again reminded the public to synch their watches to PhST so they could all ring in 2024 simultaneously by setting off fireworks, firecrackers and other noisemakers.
“Mahirap magkaintindihan ang hindi sabay, right? Kaya i-sync na ang inyong orasan para sa bansang G na G to unite!” the DOST said in its post before.
It also featured a meme of a crying woman pointing a finger at a cat.
The woman represented people who believed it was already midnight, while the cat represented those who thought it was only 11:59 p.m. and therefore, not yet time for Jan. 1, 2024.
It posted the same content anew on January 1 and reminded Pinoys to synch their watches with the PhST, which can be found on top of the website of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
PAGASA, the national meteorological agency of the country, is the Philippines’ official timekeeper. It uses its network time protocol to determine the official time.
Meanwhile, the DOST issues the reminder as the country celebrates National Time Consciousness Week (NTCW) from January 1 to 7.
NTCW is being observed in the first week of the year annually.
The DOST said that there is a “critical need for a cultural shift” in terms of time consciousness and stressed the importance of punctuality and “respect for each other’s time.”
This year’s theme is “G na G! Oras Pinas para sa Bagong Pilipinas,” which aims to synchronize all timepieces across the nation as mandated by Republic Act 10535 or The Philippine Standard Time Act of 2013.
The law states that government agencies, including public and private schools, shall conduct information campaign drives “about the value of time and the need to respect the time of others, in order that the people may realize the imperative of synchronizing the official time.”