Two reasons come up when trying to explain why “rubber time” is so deeply ingrained here, one about nature, one about social circles.
The first reason is about the archipelago’s nature. Fertile soil, plenty of sun, generous rain. Rice grows almost without drama, unlike four-season regions that have to chase tight planting-harvest timing or risk crop failure. Because life was never really pressed for time, urgency never became a basic need, and the mindset of “relax, it’ll get done eventually” got planted generation after generation into the modern era, even though the context is now far removed from farming.
The second reason is about social pressure, not nature anymore. Once someone who’s usually on time keeps hanging around people who run on rubber time, they start doing their own math: if everyone’s going to be late anyway, why bother showing up on time. That math looks logical in the head, but the effect spreads. Eventually even the most disciplined person starts slipping too, because the group’s standard has shifted and no one’s holding anyone accountable for being on time anymore.