PAGASA to boost 'Juan Time' campaign

MANILA, Philippines - Starting tomorrow, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) would not only be giving the public the latest weather forecast but the accurate time as well to boost the “Juan Time” campaign.

PAGASA supervising undersecretary Graciano Yumul said that since they are the official timekeepers of the country, it is their job to provide Filipinos the exact time.

“This is in line with our program Juan Time at the Department of Science and Technology. As much as possible, we want all the time to be the same. So when our forecaster gives the weather report over the radio, they (radio stations) would adjust their time. So the next time the announcer would give a time check, their time would be tied up with our time,” said Yumul.

By correcting the time of media organizations, the people who listen to their programs would know the precise time. Television stations also base their time on the radio.

“So ultimately the whole country would just have Juan Time or a synchronized time,” he added.

Yumul said they hope to get rid of “Filipino time” referring to the Filipinos’ penchant for being late.

Weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said they would mention the current time whenever they are called to give the weather bulletin by the media.

“First, we would give the weather forecast or bulletin. At the end of our report we would give the current time based on Philippine Standard Time (PST),” said Aurelio.

“By following PST, the public would no longer be late for their appointments or meetings,” he added.