Join TechPinas Petition for Inclusion of GMT+8:00 Manila in Standard Time and Date Settings of All New Smartphones
As a Filipino technology blogger, gadget enthusiast, and mobile device consumer, I find it frustrating every time I'm setting the Time and Date of my freshly bought smartphone or tablet and I couldn't find the Standard Philippine Time Zone in the list, which is GMT+8:00 Manila.
I believe that many - if not all - of my fellow Filipino gadget enthusiasts will be more than happy to see "Manila" in the Time Zone settings of their smartphones and other mobile devices. Currently, many handset makers only include Bangkok, Jakarta, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Perth, and Irkutsk in the GMT+08:00 time zone settings options. The Philippines is one of the fastest growing markets for mobile devices in the whole of Asia Pacific region and I believe that Manila definitely deserves to be included in that list as much as the above-mentioned cities and territories.
In line with this, I've just created a petition at Change.Org addressed to all mobile device manufacturers, requesting them to include our local time zone in the standard time and date settings for all upcoming smartphone and tablet releases. I will also be sending letters to CEO's and heads of smartphone companies and software development firms to get their full support.
My inspiration for this petition: In 1948, when the UN official seal that depicts the world was being selected, then-UN-Assembly-President Carlos P. Romulo looked at the design and asked, “Where is the Philippines?” "It’s too small to include," explained US Senator Warren Austin, who headed the 'UN seal committee'. "If we put in the Philippines it would be no more than a dot." "I want that dot!" Mr. Romulo insisted. In the same way, I want to see Manila in that list.
Others may brush off this issue and call it 'petty' - especially since it's always easier to turn a blind eye to the whole thing and just choose a territory with a similar time zone even if you're not really there - but as a Filipino who's proud of where I am from and as a blogger who does his best everyday to create content that can help my country - even in small ways - in the field of technology, this means a lot to me.
If you also feel strongly about this issue, join our petition now and enlist your support! Together we can make this happen.
Even Android Open Source Project by Google does not include our local time zone in the stock Time and Date settings of Android 5.1 Lollipop, which is disappointing.
The same thing can be said about Microsoft's Windows Phone.
I believe that many - if not all - of my fellow Filipino gadget enthusiasts will be more than happy to see "Manila" in the Time Zone settings of their smartphones and other mobile devices. Currently, many handset makers only include Bangkok, Jakarta, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Perth, and Irkutsk in the GMT+08:00 time zone settings options. The Philippines is one of the fastest growing markets for mobile devices in the whole of Asia Pacific region and I believe that Manila definitely deserves to be included in that list as much as the above-mentioned cities and territories.
In line with this, I've just created a petition at Change.Org addressed to all mobile device manufacturers, requesting them to include our local time zone in the standard time and date settings for all upcoming smartphone and tablet releases. I will also be sending letters to CEO's and heads of smartphone companies and software development firms to get their full support.
My inspiration for this petition: In 1948, when the UN official seal that depicts the world was being selected, then-UN-Assembly-President Carlos P. Romulo looked at the design and asked, “Where is the Philippines?” "It’s too small to include," explained US Senator Warren Austin, who headed the 'UN seal committee'. "If we put in the Philippines it would be no more than a dot." "I want that dot!" Mr. Romulo insisted. In the same way, I want to see Manila in that list.
I commend Samsung and LG for including #GMT800Manila in their device's Time and Date settings. I think it's no coincidence that these two brands are also doing very well in our country.
Others may brush off this issue and call it 'petty' - especially since it's always easier to turn a blind eye to the whole thing and just choose a territory with a similar time zone even if you're not really there - but as a Filipino who's proud of where I am from and as a blogger who does his best everyday to create content that can help my country - even in small ways - in the field of technology, this means a lot to me.
If you also feel strongly about this issue, join our petition now and enlist your support! Together we can make this happen.
.jpg)