This campaign aims to end the negative culture of ‘Filipino time.’
From January 1 to 7, 2026, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), its attached agencies, the Science and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), are leading the celebration of National Time Consciousness Week in the country.
The campaign this year is titled “Oras Pinas: Filipino, On Time Ka!” and aims to end the concept of “Filipino time” and synchronize the country to the standard time.
Through Republic Act 10535 (The Philippine Standard Time Act of 2013), PAGASA was established as the nation’s official timekeeper.
In line with that, in 2015, the state weather bureau acquired a new time equipment known as the PAGASA’s Precise Time-Scale System, which was purchased to establish a national timing reference and to satisfy the requirement of the existing laws on time and frequency services in the country.
This timing equipment is an independent timing chain (real-time clock) consisting of three high-performance cesium clocks, real-time clock steered to UTC using GNSS timing information, distribution for 5 MHz, 10MHz, AM/DC IRIG-B, 1 PPS and NTP.
This was also about the size of a large refrigerator, composed of three high performance atomic cesium clocks for holdover redundancy and is plugged into the network time protocol (NTP) of the Philippine Standard Time.
An atomic clock measures time by detecting the oscillations of energized atoms in an electromagnetic field.
In partnership with Project W.A.T.C.H. and SM Prime, the DOST will disseminate on the first week of January the “Oras Pinas” banneers that will be displayed on giant LED boards nationwide and special commercial slots in cinemas.