Current Time in Manila
Philippines — Asia/Manila
About Time in Manila
Manila operates on Philippine Standard Time (IANA: Asia/Manila) at UTC+8 year-round. The Philippines does not observe daylight saving time. Philippine Standard Time is commonly abbreviated as PHT or PST (not to be confused with US Pacific Standard Time).
Manila is 13 hours ahead of New York during EST and 12 hours ahead during EDT. It is 8 hours ahead of London during GMT, 1 hour behind Tokyo, and on the same time as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Beijing. At longitude 121 E, Manila is well-suited for UTC+8, with solar noon occurring close to 12:05 PM PHT.
Manila's UTC+8 timezone has been a key factor in the Philippines' rise as a global outsourcing and call center capital. The 12-13 hour difference with the US East Coast means that Filipino BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) workers operate on night shifts to serve American clients during US business hours. This 'graveyard shift' culture has become a defining feature of Manila's economy, with an estimated 1.3 million Filipinos working in the BPO sector, many of them between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM PHT.
Time Facts
The Philippines' BPO industry, which generates over $30 billion annually, requires roughly 1.3 million workers to work US-shifted hours — meaning a typical 'day' for a Manila call center agent runs from about 9 PM to 6 AM PHT.
Manila used 'war time' (UTC+9) during the Japanese occupation from 1942-1944 to align with Tokyo, reverting to UTC+8 after liberation.
The Philippines experiences very consistent daylight due to its tropical latitude (14.6 N) — Manila gets between 11.5 and 12.7 hours of daylight year-round, with sunrise always between 5:25 AM and 6:25 AM PHT.
Filipino celebrations of Christmas are the longest in the world, traditionally starting in September — and the famous 'Simbang Gabi' (Night Mass) services begin at 4:00 AM PHT for nine consecutive mornings leading up to Christmas Day.
Business Hours
Standard business hours in Manila are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PHT (00:00-09:00 UTC), while the BPO sector typically operates from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM PHT to serve US daytime clients.