Seeking to promote the use of the Philippine Standard Time (PST), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) batted for the synchronization of all timepieces across the country.
The DOST led the nation’s observance of the 2022 National Time Consciousness Week (NTCW) from Jan.1 to 7, anchored on the theme, “Bangon Pinas para sa Bagong bukas: Sundin ang tamang oras.”
“This advocacy to promote the new Pilipino time is in accordance to Republic Act No. 10535 or The Philippine Standard Time (PST) Act of 2013,” the DOST said in a statement.
“This year’s theme aims to advocate the use of the PST or the now called ORAS PINAS to help in nation-building and to support efforts to achieve sustainable development and inclusive growth by valuing time.”
Last year’s campaign dubbed “ORAS PINAS” with the tagline “One Nation, One Time: Pilipinas ON TIME” was aimed at promoting the use of PST nationwide and synching of timepieces with the PST.
“The campaign also hopes to institutionalize the new Filipino culture of being always on time and having only one time as a nation.”
The nation observes NTCW during the first week of January of every year. It seeks “to instill the value of time and the need to respect the time of others, so that the people may realize the imperative of synchronizing the official time,” the DOST said.
The DOST’s Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) sets ORAS PINAS, being the country’s official timekeeper since 1978 as mandated by Section 6 of Batas Pambansa Bldg. 8.
“DOST-PAGASA sets the timing system that consists of a rubidium atomic clock, a Global Positioning System receiver, a time interval counter, a distribution amplifier, and a computer.”
To get the official PST, the DOST urged the public to visit the DOST-PAGASA website (http://bagong.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/).