EDITORIAL - Punctuality Week

It’s derisively referred to as "Filipino time," and many events in this country are scheduled to accommodate this bad habit. The idea that Filipinos rarely arrive on time for appointments may have been reinforced by high-profile personalities notorious for tardiness. Imelda Marcos, at the height of her power, always kept people waiting, sometimes up to four hours. Joseph Estrada, during his presidency, also had trouble keeping appointments. Even the workaholic Fidel Ramos was notorious for arriving late.

There are Filipinos, however, who not only know how to keep appointments but are moving to promote punctuality in this country. This is National Consciousness Week, declared by President Arroyo to promote public awareness of the value of time and the rights of others. Throughout the week the Organized Response for the Advancement of Society Inc. or ORAS, a non-profit, non-stock, non-government organization headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Emilio Gancayco, conducted activities to promote punctuality.

Time, especially in this fast-paced world, is valuable. Arriving on time for an appointment shows respect for the time of others. Some people have the notion that they must arrive fa-shionably late, that the higher one’s station in life, the greater his right to keep others waiting. For these people, the one who arrives last for an appointment is the most important.

The government must play an active role in promoting punctuality. The higher a person’s position, the greater his responsibility to set a good example to the people he has sworn to serve. ORAS can be lauded for its efforts to encourage punctuality, but national leaders can contribute more by setting the pace and arriving on time at least for all their official appointments.

Tardiness is not a national trait, but a bad habit that afflicts certain people, including public officials. It’s a bad habit that can and must be broken as the nation struggles to keep up with a rapidly changing world. People who keep arriving fashionably late may soon find themselves left behind.