‘Juan Time’ real time for New Year countdown

This is one government project where there is no room for nonconformists.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has called on the nation anew to synchronize watches and clocks with the Philippine Standard Time (PST) so everybody can greet 2012 at exactly the same time.

Science Secretary Mario Montejo also appealed to organizers of New Year countdown activities across the country, especially those that are broadcast, to carry time based on the official timekeeping of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Official timekeeper

The weather bureau, the country’s official timekeeper, displays the official time on its website www.weather.gov.ph.  Pagasa uses a precise time system that consists of a rubidium atomic clock and a Global Positioning System.

“Let us synchronize our time pieces with the PST so that we will all celebrate at the same time the coming of the New Year. We will be one nation using one standard time,” Montejo said in a statement.

Montejo’s call is part of DOST’s “Juan Time” project, an initiative that aims to redefine the notoriously late “Filipino Time” by encouraging Filipinos to synchronize their watches with PST, and encourage punctuality.

The DOST partnered with the local office of Discovery Channel for the initiative.  It also tapped other government agencies to synchronize clocks in offices to carry the national standard time.

The Department of Education adopted the campaign earlier this year, ordering all offices and schools to synchronize clocks with PST.

Common concern

“The national launch of Juan Time paved the way for Filipinos to understand the value of time,” Montejo said in his yearend message. “This socio-cultural initiative, where science is central, has made the public appreciate the existence of the PST—with the Pagasa as the country’s official timekeeper.”

“An advocacy such as this proved that partnership can be strengthened especially when national interest becomes the common concern,” he said.

National agenda

Montejo said the DOST would pursue in 2012 a five-point development plan aligned with the national development agenda.

Under the plan, the science department will pursue research and development in science and technology through public-private partnerships, tackling concerns such as health and nutrition, food security and disaster mitigation, among others.

Montejo also vowed to bring modern technology to the countryside, particularly for food processing and farming.