City history
From an early coastal trading polity to a modern metropolis, Manila adjusted its calendar across centuries before establishing unified Philippine Standard Time.
Chapter one
Indigenous name
"Where there is nilad"
Derived from the Tagalog prefix 'may' (meaning 'there is') and 'nila' or 'nilad', referring to the abundance of mangrove shrubs (Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea) or indigo-yielding plants along the Pasig River delta.
Where there is nilad
The indigenous Tagalog settlement on the south bank of the Pasig River delta prior to Spanish colonization.
Distinguished and Ever Loyal City of Manila
Title conferred by King Philip II of Spain in 1574 following the Spanish conquest and establishment of the walled city of Intramuros.
City of Manila
Formalized under American colonial rule in 1901 and maintained through Philippine independence to the present day.
Chapter two
Governor-General Narciso Claveria ordered December 31, 1844 removed from the Philippine calendar so Manila's date would match neighboring Asian trading partners instead of the Americas.
Manila moved from local solar mean time (GMT+8:04) to standard time based on the 120th meridian east (GMT+8), establishing Philippine Standard Time.
Commonwealth Act No. 91 authorized President Manuel L. Quezon to institute daylight saving time, advancing clocks by one hour between November 1936 and January 1937.
During World War II, Japanese military authorities advanced Manila's clocks by one hour to match Tokyo Standard Time (GMT+9) until 1945.
President Corazon Aquino declared emergency daylight saving time to address severe energy supply shortages, which ended early in July 1990.
Chapter three
Jesuit priests established the Manila Observatory in Intramuros, which provided official timekeeping, astronomical observations, and typhoon warnings for merchant shipping across Southeast Asia.
Designed by architect Antonio Toledo, the 100-foot hexagonal clock tower was completed at Manila City Hall, becoming the largest clock tower in the Philippines and a primary visual landmark.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) was formalized as the official government agency responsible for maintaining Philippine Standard Time.
Republic Act No. 10535 mandated that all government agencies and media networks synchronize their clocks with PAGASA's atomic time standard to promote nationwide punctuality.