MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Starting at 2 o’clock a.m. Sunday (Monday, Philippine time), Americans, except those in Arizona and Hawaii,  will set their clocks forward by one hour as part of Daylight Saving Time (DST).  In the Philippines, Filipinos will advance their clocks by two hours.

For the first time in the history of the Philippines, this tropical country in Asia is implementing DST, but unlike its U.S. counterpart, it is a two-hour adjustment.

The concept of DST in the U.S. is all about saving precious energy, taking advantage of longer days and shorter nights to encourage people to turn off lights earlier, turn on airconditioners later, etc.

However, Philippine DST has nothing to do with energy-saving.  It is a national scheme to encourage and ensure that Filipinos arrive at their appointments, school or work ON TIME — in fact two hours early.

You see, the Philippines is known for “Filipino time,” a standard in which people arriving late for appointments is expected, much less tolerated.  Even their country’s flag carrier, Philippine Air Lines, or PAL, is often referred to as “Plane Always Late.”

With the new Philippine DST, many employers will be very pleased that at last, their workers will arrive on time — assuming the LRT and MRT (light railway) trains run on schedule.

“By the time DST is set back to regular or standard time in the fall, Filipinos will already have been used to being on time or early,” President NoyNoy Aquino told reporters today.