‘eh kasi filipino time’. ‘filipino time? aw ok hehehe’
how often have i heard the said phrases in conversations?
and really, it is not (anymore) amusing.
it is insulting to say the least.
filipinos have been notorious for being late in appointments. the thing though is that this is more likely to happen in our country, OR when the attendees are mostly Filipinos. we might as well have our own timezone which is delayed with say HKT by 30 minutes to an hour.
time management is a discipline.
here are some notes i live by along this line.
1) respect everyone else’s time.
we have schedules we need to attend to.
being late to one will likely affect and waste someone else’s time. not just yours.
2) live with what is written and decided.
we should not intentionally delude participants to say an event starts at 8:00 but in reality, we really intend for it to start at 9:00.
for what is the victory in starting on time when you lose your credibility?
3) mishaps happens. deal with it. improvise.
because there are always times when no matter how early you leave for an appointment, you are bound to get stuck in traffic due to some errant driver or what have you. the best thing to do is to inform the people you are meeting up with. asap.
4) check and re-check if your schedule is even possible.
there is no point in scheduling things if there is the bigger likelihood of it not being followed.
if you are not a local in the event venue, get the opinion of the locals.
make sure to keep in contact with the people attending your event.
learn from experience.
5) be early.
i look forward to the day when filipino time is no longer said in a joking or derisive manner.
filipinos have the capacity to be world class. not just because they “do as the romans do” but because it is now inculcated into what a filipino is. a disciplined, contributing and humane individual.
my take 