NO MORE TIME SIRENS | UPLB siren now limited “for emergency purposes”

The siren that has been the University constituents’ basis of time will soon be heard only for emergencies.

The siren based at the University Police Force (UPF) headquarters will now be used only for emergency purposes, and “will no longer be set off six times a day”,  a new memorandum from the Office of the Chancellor says.

In Memorandum No. 70, series of 2014, Chancellor Rex Victor Cruz says that the time sirens “may no longer be relevant as almost everyone , if not all, has easy access of telling the time from wrist watches, cellular phones, and other gadgets.”

“[U]sing the siren only during in times of emergency will serve as an alarm for constituents about an emergency,” the memorandum adds.

The said memorandum, however, does not indicate what particular types of emergencies would require the sounding off of the siren.

For years, the UPF siren goes off at 7 and 8 in the morning, 12 noon and 1pm during midday, and 4 and 5 in the afternoon. [P]