House panel OKs measure for daylight saving time

MANILA, Philippines — The House committee on economic affairs has approved a measure that will allow the president to advance the Philippine Standard Time (PST) by one hour in the first six months of the year to maximize productivity.

House Bill 7750, or the proposed Daylight Saving Time Act, is primarily authored by Parañaque Rep. Edwin Olivarez.

“Currently, both the labor sector and the educational sector are suffering from interruptions in the productive hours brought about by torrential rains and the consequent floodings during the rainy season due to climate change,” the bill’s explanatory note reads.

These institutions, the bill stated, “not only substantially lessen the school days and hours spent by children within the academic year, they likewise adversely affect the productivity of our workforce due to difficulty in going to and from work.”

“Hence, it is essential that the state take preventive measures in this decline in productivity by adjusting the PST by one hour during the dry season” it said.