A.Javier Y.

Martinez
SA 21- G
Cielito Gono
30.06.15
Violating Filipino Time: A Sociological Perspective

Filipino Time, simply put is the Filipino sociological for starting late; like how it is
more socially acceptable to arrive late at a social event than to arrive early. Before talking
about violating the norm, it would be beneficial to explain what a norm is. A normat least
in the context of sociologyis a set of informal understandings that govern individuals'
behaviour in society (Goffman). For example, sit is okay for couple to hold hands but not
have coitus in public, which is an example of a social norm.
Filipino Timefor the purposes of this paperwill be defined as the acceptance of
not arriving on time. This norm, like any norm, is a tool for social control. In this case, we
should look into the origins of the term Filipino time. It should be noted that theres no
Filipino term for the concept of Filipino Timei; compared to terms such as utang-na-loob
ii

or pakikilahokiii, which are social norms which are considered Filipino as well, but have a

proper Filipino term for it. This is a sign; this norm is not something that was present in precolonial Filipino culture. It is assumed then, that Filipino Time comes from one of our
colonisers, and signs point to Spain. iv
Filipino Time as a norm, like all other norms, is a tool for social control. It can be
argued from a functionalist perspective vthat the function of Filipino Time is to help build
bonds between members of society, although people are late, they have no problem if it is
friends or family, allowing lateness in this case prevents conflicts from arising due to
tardiness as well. Filipino culture is in between Multi-Activeviand Reactivevii cultural types;
this places us at a cross between the Latin Cultures and Asian ones. We have traits of both,
such as the Asian emphasis on tradition, but the Latin love of focusing on relationships.

To violate the norm, all I did two things: First, arrive exactly on timeif the host
were to say 1500, I would be there at 1500. Second, if I were the in charge for some sort of
social event or gathering I would start exactly on time.
My hypothesis going into this study was that people would react with hostility
towards being earlyhowever due to Philippine cultural practicesthey would react in a
passive-aggressive manned. I suspected that the reactions would range from complaining,
ignoring (me) or even uncooperativeness.
My norm violation would take place over a two-week period, in a variety of locations.
Some were at the local mall; some were at the university; the more common factors was the
people I was testing this one. I was testing on people who I considered close to me: my circle
of friends and my immediate family. Another factor was that I chose to deal in small groups
was because a large amount of people is unwieldy to handle. The reason for this choice of
people to experiment on was simple, they were probably the most likely to display and
communicate their reactions to my behaviour, if I were to pick a different group they might
have not as been as honest.
Over the span of two weeks, I began showing up early, or rather on time. First
occasion was when a couple of friends agreed to have a drink at Walrusviii, agreeing to meet
up around 1800. I was there at 1745, and waited. The first oneout of fourarrived at 1805,
five minutes late. The last one came at 1900; ironically, that person being the one to arrive
was the one who said to meet up 1800 originally.
I was also invited to a debut, and I arrived at the time stated on the invite, which was
1700. What happened when I arrived was the preparations were still happening, the debutante
was still putting on her make-up; the catering had yet to arrive. Once again, this is because I
arrived on time.
The last event that was part of the experiment, I was the one hosting, and it was movie
night at my house. I normally set call time at 1800, and my friends all know this. Not that
they arrive one time, so I start it once everyone is here. However I decided to start it at 1800

as we previously agreed upon, which meant by the time the first guest arrive the movie was
halfway though.
The common reaction that I received was that of shock. Mild annoyance was the best
way I could describe their reactions. However, I feel that the only reason the reactions were
so mild was personal relationship to the experimenter, which I think although was detrimental
in achieving my hypothesis to a certain extent, it did make me think about trying this with a
group without any form of connection to me, they may have run amok. The feeling I got
was a mild sense of guilt, but I did manage to rationalise it and say, They chose to be late.
However, a common complaint was that I was being inconsideratewhich would make sense
considering our societys focus on conformity. The biggest take-away I have from this
experiment was that by being punctual and on time, actually can derail plans, which goes to
show how strong a cultural mechanism is it.
To summarise, how we view time is a cultural matter (Bluedorn, 2002). The Filipino
is not the American, or the Arabian or Argentine. How it affects us is strongly tied to how
we see ourselves and as Filipinos, our perception of time is ours. Through Western eyes, is it
inefficient? Yes, but to us it is what works. The learning that can learned from this is
Filipino Time has its purposes as a norm, and being deviant on an individual basis will
merely ostracize you as part of the group

i There are words such as huli or tala, but they do not encapsulate the essence of the English word; like
how saying shame is not the same as hiya.
ii Returning for favourswhether asked for or notwhen it is needed and/or wanted.
iii An act of joining, i.e. participation of the entire community to help a person.
iv Why the Spaniards and not the Americans? Americas culture, similar to that of the British, East Asian and Germanic
culture is one that thinks of time as a strict set of tasksthe proper term is monochroniccompared to the Latin,
Arabic, Southern Asian and African cultures who view it differentlytheir view is polychromic. They view time as a
guideline and focus more on building the relationships of people. Therefore, it can be wise to assume that the concept of
Filipino Time is from the Spanish rather than the Americans.

v Although conflicts theoristsespecially post-colonial onesmight say that Filipino Time is a method of
keeping the Filipino down, as it has been recorded, in certain historical accounts that the Spaniards would
encourage Filipinos arriving later than them, thus making them seem more important. However due to the
limited length allowed for this paper, this possibility will not be explored.
vi The culture group, which includes the Latin countries, Sub-Saharan Africa, Arabic Asian and Eastern
Europe. (Lewis, 2005)
vii The culture group, which includes East and Southeast Asian countries. (Lewis, 2005)
viii A bar along Katipunan

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