Present status of metrication of Philippines?

Answer 1

It is difficult to judge the degree to which ordinary people change to using metric in their daily lives. In countries that have recently changed, older segments of the population tend to still use the older units. Also, local variations abound in which units are round metric quantities or not. In Philippines, for example, ovens and cooking temperatures are usually measured in degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius. Except for in cases of import items all recipes and packaging includes both Celsius and Fahrenheit so Canadians are typically comfortable with both systems of measurement. This extends to manufacturing where companies are able to use both imperial and metric since major export is for the U.S. but metric is required for both domestic and for nearly all other export. This may be due to the overwhelming influence of the neighbouring United States; similarly, Filipinos often use non-metric measurements in day-to-day discussions of height and weight, and for clothing sizes, which are invariably measured in inches, though most driver's licences and other official government documents record weight and height only in metric (Saskatchewan driver licences indicate height in feet and inches). In Filipino schools though metric is the standard except when it comes up in recipes, where both are included, or in practical lessons involving measuring wood or other materials for manufacturing.Another example is "hard" and "soft" metric. Philippine converted liquid dairy products to litres, 500 g and 250 g sizes, which caused some complaining at time of conversion, as a litre of milk is 35 imperial ounces, while the former imperial quart used in Canada was 40 ounces. This is a "hard" metric conversion. Conversely, butter in Philippine is sold primarily in a 454 g package, which converts to one Imperial pound. This is considered "soft" metric. Such countries could be said to be "semi-metric".