If you read the things I write regularly, it should be obvious to you that I love living in the Philippines. I love the people, I love the country. Overall, I can think of no place on the earth where I would prefer to live. However, that doesn’t mean that the Philippines is a Paradise, or that everything is perfect here.
Truth is that some things are quite annoying here. These annoying things take getting used to, no doubt. Some of these things you can probably never fully adjust to, other things are relatively easy to adjust to.
One thing that I find quite annoying is the way that time is handled here. We’ve talked about Filipino Time many times. Filipino Time is the cultural habit that people are always late. Sometimes they are 10 minutes late, sometimes they are hours late. That is very hard to adjust to. However, that is not specifically what I am writing about today. My article is related to that, but slightly shifted from Filipino Time specifically.
Time, in general is handled in a very non-committal way. One thing that particularl thing that always bugs me is when I am setting up an appointment to get together with somebody. The conversation often goes like this:
Me: What time should we get together?
Other person: I’ll come to your house after lunch.
Well, frankly… what time would that be? I am sorry, but after lunch is not a time. 1pm is a time. 2:30pm is a time. After lunch simply is not a time. I mean, I know this is not the norm, but I personally normally eat lunch at around 2pm. Most people don’t do that, but that is what I do. It fits my schedule. How do I know what time other people normally eat, and how do they know what time I normally eat? Yet, even if you follow up and ask, “what time?” they reiterate, “after lunch.” Aaahhhhhh! What time is that?
A while back, a friend texted me. He is a fairly well known blogger in Davao. He told me that there was a group of Manila bloggers visiting Davao and they had requested to meet me. Sure, I said, I’d be happy to get together. He told me, “OK, let’s get together after dinner tomorrow night, I will text you.” OK, that sounded fine for me. I figured I’d eat dinner, and just be ready to go out whenever he contacted me. Well, finally, at 9:30pm, I texted him and asked if the meeting was still scheduled? He said, “of course, but remember, I said it would be after dinner?” Hmm… well, by 9:30pm I would have figured that was after dinner, I thought to myself. Well, by the time 10:30 rolled around and I still had not heard from my friend, I texted him and told him that I would not be able to attend, because, frankly, I was ready to go to bed!
So, when people tell you that we’ll see you “after lunch” or “after dinner,” what time would you expect? How about if they say “I’ll come to your place in the morning.” Does that mean you need to get up early because they might come at 7am? Or, does it mean at 11am? Oh… hold it. I think I just figured it out.
If they tell you that they will come by “in the morning,” what they mean is “before lunch.” Ha ha… that explains it!
So, what it comes down to for me is that time is handled in a very cavalier way here in the Philippines. Not too specific. Not specific at all. I mean, if you are told a specific time like “3pm,” they may not show up until 5pm anyway. So, I guess “after lunch” is good enough…
Hey bob
You figured it out! (ha-ha-ha)Am no fan of filipino time myself esp. since living abroad for almost 13 yrs. My husband got a dose of reality last year when we went home. Am left to minimize some outburst before he embarrassed himself. Luckily, I let my family know, time is always of the essence when dealing with americans, esp, their brother in law……
Hi Bob! Yes, hundreds of annoying things in the Philippines. However, I still think the Philippines is PARADISE. Paradise in my vocabulary, is a place where all your needs are satisfied. As my favorite saying goes:
"If there is God, there is no need! If there is no need there is Paradise. In Paradise, there is bliss, contentment and delight "!
Have a good afternoon and Cheers to All you Beautiful People of LIP magazine!
mayongbuntag bob
ahhhh i can relate to this article so much.
actually it was my fiancee that i had trouble dealing with filipino time,i would tell her i wanted to go to the market after breakfast and usually wouldent leave until well after noon.wow that drives me crazy.now i have her in the usa and she is still on filipino time.oh my arrrrrgggg . hahahaha well its ok because i love her so now if we have something to do i ask her to do i tell her out appointment is at 3 am so mabe we will get there by 9am.hahahaha
nice article my friend
salamat bob
Bob: After much thought and much travel throughout the developing world, I've come to the conclusion that in most places outside Western Europe, the States, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Korea, time just simply does not have any value. Things will evenyually get done, but when does not matter. People are late because time is not valued here, whether in school, work, long queues at the mall or store… even funerals (9 days mourning compared to the drain you, dress you, plant you in 2 days in the States!)
This is a constant source of conflict in my business, since we have to schedule vessel surveys, shipments, and technical installations, with engineers flying in from all over the world.
Hi David – I will go with Wikipedia's definition of Paradise, which includes:
In the Philippines there are negative things, not all is harmonious either. So, for me, there is no such thing as Paradise on this earth. I love the place, it just is not paradise for me.
Thanks for your comment.
Hi John – I agree fully on this. We, in the States, are brought up with the saying that "time is money" but it simply is not the case here.
what about booking out of hotels? Time is money there, right? Hope it’s not when I visit as I like a good lie in! 🙂
I am not sure I understand your question? “Booking out” of hotels? I think that you are talking about “checking out” of hotels. Not sure where you are from, we are probably from different areas and use different terms for the same thing. In any event, there is a check out time in most hotels, but it is usually around noon or so. If you need to stay later, you can probably make arrangements for that with the front desk.
Hi Ron – Maayong gabii sa sa imo. Oh my, now the fun is just starting for you. It will take a few years, but eventually you will teach your wife and she will forget about Filipino time. Then, when you come back here, the time management will drive you both crazy!
Hi Bob. Have to say anything over an hour late is just plain rude in any country, even here. I would think if they don,t give you any real time then they aren,t going to show anyway and they just don,t want to upset you by cancelling, even though this upsets you more! Personally i,ve given up wearing a watch and started to use a sundial! Welcome to the Philippines.
Hi Daryl – I agree that an hour late is downright rude, however, I don't think that society in general in the Philippines would consider that to be so. Like you, Daryl, I haven't worn a watch for years now.
hello bob
i like the sound of that.
then my fiancee will know my feelings
i feel better now. salamat
Hi Ron W – 😉
Bob,
Interesting article as usual. I don't want to become too philisophical, or generalise too much,, but I think one reason for these different views of time is the Western world (0f course, including the US)developed the middle class work ethic in the 16th century that stressed the importance of time management meeting schedules and deadlines. Many historinas think that is one reason the US has been successful in an economic sense. The Philipines, on the other hand ,whether because of the Spanish inheritance or as part of the eastern world, views time as not particularly important(bahala na!) and values leisure.
There is irony here because the economic success of the American economy has also led to stress and what I hear some ex-pats refer to as the "rat race". They look forward to retiring here because of the leisurely pace of life. We then have to be careful that we don't get stressed out because we are still taking time seriously like westerners do and lose the advantage of the leisure mentality. Many Filipinos on the other often want to go to the US and when they get there find themselves frustrated because they have to give up their leissurely attitude about time in order to be successful economically.There must be grounds for compromise here somewhere! Anyway, just a thought. Thanks for reading and I really enjoy this group.
Richard W.
Surely for work, especially big companies, like MacDonald, they must and do keep time?
I am not certain. I would, frankly, be surprised if they kept time like with a time card type system, because people here are paid by the day, not by the hour.
I think another reason time may seem more significant in the US is that in many ways we have become and " Instant " society with many things. When people want something in many cases they want it " Now ". Not later, not tomorrow but Now ! People become impatient, irritable and just plain " cranky " if they don't get what they want, when they want it, and they don't like to have to wait for things.
Some of this may have to do with being competitive in many businesses here especially those that deal with the general public. I used to work in a service business that serviced our locations around the clock. Many of our competitors only serviced their locations 12 or 14 hours even though many of the locations themselves were at their busiest after the 12th or 14th hour. When competitors at times would attempt to lure our clients away from us the clients kept our service because if they had equipment problems late at night we would still respond ( usually within an hour ) after they called us.
Many times in advertising here you will see slogans like " order today it ships today " or " on time – off the shelf delivery ". The company, retail store etc. that provides their customers what they want and when they want " on time " is the one that usually earns the business and puts the competition out of business.
This is not to say that this kind of thing is the best way to be but that is the way things have become here in the USA and yes, many times it is a " rat race "
Even in the work I do today, there are precise schedules that must be met, things have to be ready for dispatch " on time " and if there is even the slightest hint of a delay, inquiries are made immediately. Every thing revolves around " The Clock " .
There have been many times when I have been in the UK and more recently in The Philippines where I have, in my own mind, had to constantly remind myself that " I am not at home " and to try my best to exercise patience.
For me, it seems as soon as I step out of the plane at my destination time seems to go twice as fast and before I know it I am back on the plane on the way home. This may also be part of why things that take longer there than they do here seem to be emphasized. The fact that time seems to go so quickly when I am on vacation or visiting does indicat something though, I am having a good time !
Maayong Buntag Bob
I had to laugh while reading your article because I caught the brunt of Filipino time when I came there to get married. I thought I was going to teach my then fiancé how things were done in American and get all our paperwork for our marriage done in just a few days. Boy was I wrong. There were single documents that took the whole day and waiting in line to get a 5 peso stamp meant nothing to a Filipino. Now I have come to expect the Filipino time when I get there and I understand it is part of there culture. The problem is if you took out Filipino time from there culture you would also be taking out the laid back attitude that I love so much in the Philippines. So I have come to the conclusion to take the good with the bad and except Filipino time.
Hi Richard – Ah yes… you explained it very well. It's all a catch 22. No matter if we are American, British or Filipino, we all want what is on the other side of the fence. Then, when we finally make it over to the other side, we have problems because it is different from the side of the fence that we came from! 😆
Hi Bob NY – When you are away from home, and don't need to be "on the clock" it certainly is difficult to get out of the mentality. I have been living here in the Philippines for more than 9 years now, and I still find myself following a precise schedule, and getting annoyed when others don't!
Maayong gabii, Larry! Kumusta? I haven't seen you for a while, hope all is going well! Do you think that the lack of giving a certain time, like saying "after lunch" is an aspect of Filipino time? I had always considered that to be something completely different. But, as I think about it, you probably are right on that, and the two are related to each other. I mean, if you don't commit to an exact time, then you come show up any time and not be late! 😆
so what does "i'll see you tomorrow" mean ? lol good one bob i was just watching a tagalog movie and there was a spoof about being on time to work from two filipino's in the US
Hi Tommy – Ha ha… you're watching Tagalog movies now? Are things that boring up in Tagum? 😆
I can see that I will be driven crazy by the lack of time management.
I am a person who doesn;'t particularly care when you come by my house but if you say 3pm at 3:30 I am on to other things.
When I was there in July a developer lost out on a deal that I was handling for a friend in Canada because he didn;t show up…never mind on time he didn;t even show up on the day specified. He showed up the next day and I told him too bad I went with the other company because they had the good sense to show up on time. He was pissed….
Oh well I tried to tell him when we made the appt that I was needing him to be on time and he said he understood that I meant 11am the next day…hell I even had him repeat it back to me. ( I learned that trick from trying to make plans with my filipina friend Jocelyn.
What I don;t get is they can figure out that I am NOT filipina so therefore I must be from North America……Kanos like being on time so maybe I should show up when I said I would so as not to piss off the Kano????
Just 1 more reason that I will be studying hard at my anger management courses before I emmigrate!!!!!! 🙂 🙂
Yes Bob That would drive me crazy Short drive!
Hi Tyleen – You will adjust. It might take years to do so, but you will. It took me years. On the time thing, I still don't fully accept it, but it doesn't drive me to anger anymore…. most of the time! 😆
Hi Guy – In my case, I don't even need to drive! I can walk, it's that close! 😀
Hi Bob – The non-committal scheduling of time works both ways. If someone says they'll magicaly appear after lunch, there shouldn't be an iron-clad guarantee that you'll be there when they finally arrive.
As we know that cultural differences can turn a negative response into positive audible words – saving face by saying that someone will show up here or there at this or that time can easily occur by one who has no intention of showing up anywhere at anytime.
Yes, as you warn, it does take getting used to. I think my assimilation was helped considerably by "participating" more than just "observing" – keeping Filipino Time with the best of them, and riddng my mind of Western concerns/thoughts of punctuality and formality.
Now, if I could just work on that sun tan a bit more! 😉
Hi Paul – Ha ha… I have not been able to push myself culturally far enough to participate in Filipino Time. I kind of doubt that I will ever make it there at all. I think it is just too ingrained in me to keep good time. It is really something I hate, though. Perhaps part of the reason why I can't make the leap is because in my businesses, basically all of my customers are in the West, and expect me to do things in a timely manner. I aim to please, you know! 😀
Great choice of topics Bob. Reading your article brought two questions to mind. Firs; If one has been invited by someone whose social standing is superior to theirs, do different rules apply? What I mean is, if the major of Davao invites someone with a lower social standing to his home at 8 PM, would that person be expected to arrive within the established time? Second, what about events like movie schedules? If a show doesn't start on time, it will impact the next movie scheduled for the same theater.
Hello Bob.Its all true the good the bad.For us living on Samal island the most important time is what time is the last barge over to Samal as we might be staying the night in Davao if we miss it.Jim.
I bought 2 expensive tickets to Miss Siagon, about$300. I really wanted to see this play. I got scheduled to work that weekend, so I gave the tickets to two very good filipina friends of mine. After the show & after work, I called the girls to see how the show was. They said it was ok, but they missed nearly half of it. They had nearly a week to prepare, but still couldn't make it on time. Maybe they thought the crew would wait until they were there. I saw it a week later & it was great, with the filipina actress from Winnipeg. I was on time,but by myself! Guy
Hi David S. – Interesting question about a person of lower social status being invited. I am not really certain about that, but I think that just normal Filipino Time would apply. As for movies… that is a funny one in itself. The way movies work here is that they do start on schedule. However, most people don't go to a movie on schedule. They might show up 30 minutes or even 60 minutes into the movie. So, let's say that a movie starts at 1pm and runs until 3pm. The viewer shows up at 1:45. They watch the last half of the movie, and then they just stay in the theater for the next showing and watch the first half. When the movie has looped around to the part they already saw, well, then they leave. 😀 This is true, I am not joking.
Hi James – Ha ha… yeah, you don't want to miss that last boat! No doubt. Funny thing is that everybody runs late for everything, but when it comes to a service like a boat or a store or something, they usually close a little earlier than scheduled. Interesting!
Hi Guy – BTW, I went to Miss Saigon back in the 90's and enjoyed it immensely. Funny story about how those ticket recipients only saw half the show!
We don't take other people's life seriously , not coming at the right indicates how filipino lack in courtesy and respect.
We don’t take other people’s life seriously , not coming at the right time indicates how filipino lack in courtesy and respect.
Hi Reden – I think Filipinos are respectful and courteous beyond what most foreigners are. They just have a different way of looking at time issues.
This is so familiar to me – it took me a long time to get used to it recently a friend asked to meet me at 7pm and turned up at 9.My wife who has lived mainly in Scotland since 1972 goes absolutely ballistic when she encounters Filipino time she has got used to punctuality and has much less tolerance than me!
Hi Bryan – I have a hard time with lateness, but I think Feyma may be worse than I am! 😆
Hi Bob
Being late for a movie reminds me when I went to Church (actually a very big Catherdal I think it was) in Bacolod. A lot of people turned up at various times, then stayed until the service was repeated later. This Church repeated it's Sunday service most of the day, with a 5 minuite break inbetween, and if people missed the first 1/2 hr, they would stay until the first 1/2 hr of the following service. So I fully believe that movie houses are the same.
Usually when I go to the Philippines, I leave my watch at the house and only rely on my feeling of when to eat, get-up, come back etc, so Filipino time is not a great issue for me. 🙂 However, I can understand having to wait hours to meet somebody 'after lunch' must be very annoying. 🙁
lol dont u just love love it bob when tha do that too u and for us all so when u say dinner and tea ok for me tea is some thing u have about 5 pm or 6 ok and diner for us here is at 12.00 or 1.00 pm not at 5 or 6 pm as it is in the phili ok so when my wife ask me what do u wont for diner and it is about 430 pm i would say my love we have dinner ok right and she would say no baby not yet lol and then i would have to tell her how it is here at home and then she would under stand it as i hate having to eat a big dinner be for going to bed mate i wont to ahve my dinner at dinner time 12.00 ok lol but it is all ways the ather way about over there andit as taken me a litttle time to get it right so i know how u feel when some tell u ok that thay will come after dinner ehhehehh lol peter martin tassie…ps we may have two heads down here mate but we do eat on time ok….
Hi Peter – for us Americans, lunch is at noon, dinner is in the evening, so the Philippines is the same. 😆
Hmmmm.
Everyone I know has a cell phone. I call when someone doesn’t show up on time. If they don’t pick up, I text and I leave. I only wait for government. And I show up everyday until I get what I need.
The truth of the matter is, the value of your time is up to you. Why should it matter to anyone else? And the worst waste of one’s time is any time spent scolding someone for being rude.
Rudeness can take different forms depending on culture. So it is best NOT to assume that rudeness is intended.
For example, I find phone calls invasive. And I do not pick-up if I’m driving or when I’m in someone’s company. And I find it rude when people pick up when in my company. Still, I don’t like to scold. But I will excuse myself and leave if I can.
Happiness, after all, is no one else’s responsibility but one’s own.
I do not always wait, but sometimes you just have to or you won’t have any friends left! 🙂
Time, yes that is something that makes me crazy in Philippines. I am retired Army, I am used to going by the clock and being very much on time. I think Filipino’s have a different watch than anyone.
I have gotten to the point where I tell them what time, I dont leave it up to them, as I dont want to be sitting and waiting for hours. My wife at first was resistant to my ways on being on time, now she is more used to it and now expects everyone else to be on time.