‘I suspect that if and when we end up as close to the anal punctuality of our Japanese friends, many other aspects of our life will improve as well.’
WHENEVER I travel with friends, one topic that always surfaces in our conversations is the question: “Why can’t the Philippines (or Filipinos) be like…” The conversation often leads to humorous put-downs of our country, but it is humor tinged with sadness and regret, if not also sometimes anger.
In fact, when one of our travel mates is a kagawad of a Metro Manila city and he begins to launch into our downsides of the Philippines, I half-jokingly tease him that his remarks will guarantee his defeat in the next elections. because they’re painful put-downs. But they’re true.
Here’s an example.
Two experiences I like reliving over and over in two different cities in our region may indeed be difficult to replicate here at home. The first is the enormously popular walkthrough of Bangkok’s Chinatown in search of great eats – Michelin star outlets included.
The walk by itself is amazing, at least to me. It’s an endless stream of foreigners bumping into each other and spilling over the sidewalk into parts of the streets that are roped off for this purpose. But that’s not the amazing part; this is: no one seems to suffer from the quick hands of a pickpocket! And to think the tourists – especially the Caucasians – wear their backpacks behind them!
Naturally, we Filipinos joke about trying this in different parts of Metro Manila – let’s see, we say, how many mobile Phones and wallets will get lost in a day! Painful but true – even I lost a cellphone once, believe it or not, in the middle of Araneta Coliseum’s center court during the celebration that followed a championship victory, where people were hugging other people.
A similar non-replicable experience is the crazy Shibuya crossing that happens every day, with locals outnumbered by foreigners who just want to have a few seconds of video clips to post. Whether it’s a workday or a weekend, the number of people jostling each other to get to whatever side they wish to reach is astounding. And again, not one wallet or mobile phone is lost during the experience. Which provokes us Pinoys to joke that we would import one or two “experts” from some parts of Metro Manila to “do their thing” and then split the loot, which would be a hefty sum!
Of course, it’s just a joke, but you get what I mean.
But if there’s one aspect of life in Japan that I to my dying day would wish that we Filipinos can emulate, it’s their anal punctuality. I say “anal” because nothing else can best describe their adherence to being on the clock. Whether it’s a bus leaving at a set time, a train arriving at a set time, a check-in counter opening at a set time, or a meeting or show starting at a set time – whatever time is set is the time, and if you’re late, you pay the price. Either you’re left behind, prohibited from entering, or you face the embarrassment of facing people who were able to make it, while for one reason or another you and only you couldn’t.
There’s no “let’s wait a few minutes more…”
We love to bemoan the “lack of discipline” among us, for good reason. But there are bite-sized ways to correct this and begin correcting now. It’s easier to do, I guess, in corporations and in private events than in public engagements that involve VIPS who just love to arrive late – but we’ve got to start and start now.
I suspect that if and when we end up as close to the anal punctuality of our Japanese friends, many other aspects of our life will improve as well.
So what say you? Let’s agree: if it’s time, it’s time.
G?
