MANILA, Philippines? The House of Representatives has passed a bill synchronizing the standard time nationwide so Filipinos can celebrate the new year in unison.

House Bill 6905 or the Philippine Standard Time (PST) bill was approved on third and final reading before Congress adjourned Friday. The bill has been transmitted to the Senate for consideration.

Nineteen lawmakers filed similar bills to address the lack of an official standard time in the country.

"With a set PST, we can welcome a new year in unison, blend time sensitive chemical mixtures like medicine and food ingredients and synchronize security locks and other devices. By synchronizing the official watches and clocks in the entire archipelago, all Filipinos can sing the national anthem at the same time, "Valenzuela Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo, the main author of the merged bill, said.

In a statement, he said the bill would mandate all national and local government offices to adopt the PST as their official time as provided by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

This includes bundy clocks of government employees to encourage punctuality and the wise use of their time, according to Gunigundo.

The bill will provide funds for the installation, operation and maintenance of synchronized time devices to be displayed in key public places with Pagasa and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) tasked to disseminate and monitor the compliance to the PST.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is also mandated to require all state and private broadcast stations to use the PST in their operations. The NTC and Department of Interior and Local Government have also been empowered to sanction radio or TV stations and state offices for non-compliance.