Filipino Time

It is an invariable joke among any Filipino organizing an event that it is wise to state the commencement of that particular event half an hour to an hour earlier than the actual time intended. Filipino Time, you know. It is a well known fact and an exasperating subject most Filipino Americans have taken with resignation. "Filipino Time" is the coined phrase for the embarrassing affliction of tardiness among Filipinos. It is curious and mind boggling how the general population of a certain nation could possibly be chronically late. And yet, it has been tried and tested to be true to this very day. Try having a party with the invitation stating an arrival time of 4 pm, and people will start trickling in at 5 or 6 pm.

Filipino time is such a phenomenon that it made enough of an impression on comedian Rex Navarrette to be the subject of one of his acts. Rex claimed that Filipinos in the US are not late. They are not. They are in fact well ahead of schedule. They are simply adhering to the Philippine time which is in fact 13 hours ahead of the US time. While in the Philippines, the major flagship airline the Philippine Airlines better known by its acronym PAL, was jokingly renamed Paliparan (Airline) Always Late. The affliction was that prevalent. Nowadays, one might say it is a trend among airlines to be late. But I believe PAL was the original.

Why are Filipinos generally late? It is contradictory for a people equally well known for their hospitality. It seems contrary for a group of people who would rather suffer rather than impose on any one's generosity. And in a country like the United States where punctuality is highly esteemed, Filipino Time sticks out like an eye sore.

However, I believe there is a logical and scientific explanation behind most things. Bear in mind, I am not a sociology expert and is merely piecing together some general observations to explain this astounding phenomenon. First of all, let us set the record straight. Filipinos are not late because they are flagrantly inconsiderate or thoughtless. For the most part, we know what time we need to be there, the intention is to be there, but for some reason, we still get there 15 minutes late, half an hour late, even an hour late. Most of us will shrug it off. We were late and that was that. Very few will take a moment to step back and think there must be a root cause, some psychological reason why this is so.

Theory No. 1: The Philippines is a country where traffic is notorious. It takes literally hours to get from point A to point B. Over the years, the Filipinos have acquired an attitude that we will get there when we get there. This attitude has neatly settled into our psyche (I would say right beside the "What Will Be, Will Be or Bahala Na attitude) and has become a trait we translate into everyday action. A trait we have acquired and will be passing down to future generation unless we consciously do something about it.

Theory No. 2: The Filipinos are inherently self-effacing that they have unintentionally given new meaning to the term "fashionably late." No one wants the burden of being the first arrivals to be entertained by the hosts. We prefer to come at a time when we know there are already people and we could simply blend in.

Theory No. 3: Filipino Time is indicative of our complacency. Blame it on colonialism. In fear of insurrection, when the Encomienda (landownership) system was introduced to the Filipino natives, goal-setting was not part of the seminar. A cue that was taken by the later succeeding dictatorship regime. Filipinos are not encouraged to look further than today, or even this very hour. What is encouraged is the laid back attitude bordering on apathy. In more recent years of democracy, the disease has still gone undiagnosed. Planners and palm pilots, definite tools of promptness, are seen as privileges of the bourgeoisie. Unfortunately the majority of those who can afford it regard it as accessories for show rather than tools of the trade.

The last theory is probably the major culprit. It explains why most Filipinos are hardworking, excelling in many things but lacking in promptness. Punctuality is a symptom of high motivation and driven ambition. A lax attitude that has been encouraged for so long on a whole nation will never complement it. Questions such as where will I be five years from now, is not something generally asked among Filipinos. Even if it had been asked, the vaguest idea of how to get there is revealed to a minority.

What can we do about it? Awareness is key. Intolerance of tardiness is another major step towards change. We cannot blame everything to Filipino Timeliness. It is also important to understand that for every step forward it will most likely be two steps backward. We just have to keep at it. For those of you who do not suffer this malady, good for you. For those of us who do, luckily, we are in the US of A, home of Franklin Covey (the Planner Empire) and Julia Morgenstern (the Organizing Lady). True, all these self-help gurus are mainly commercialism. But face it, there is some benefit from what they have to offer, so we might as well take advantage of it. Who knows, the next time we have to be at a meeting, we might just get there on time.