Does Vastu work in the Philippines?
Yes. Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in the Philippines as in India, so its guidance applies to a condo in Makati as much as to one in Mumbai. Indian families have lived in Manila and across the islands for generations, many of them Punjabi. The compass points about 3° west of true north in Metro Manila, a small correction VastuIQ applies for you. What stands out here is the sun: Manila lies about 14½° north of the equator, so the midday sun is high all year and in the northern sky for over three months.
Pre-selling condos: choose the unit before it is built
Many condos in Metro Manila and Cebu are sold pre-selling, from the developer's plans, years before turnover. That is exactly what VastuIQ reads. Upload the unit plan, set north from the building's site plan or a map, confirm the rooms and compare units free, including the same layout on different floors or sides of the tower, before you pay the reservation fee. Foreigners can own condominium units within the share of a project allowed by law; check the current rules with the developer or a lawyer. VastuIQ gives Vastu guidance only.
Philippine homes, read correctly
The report uses the names on your plan and reads them the way a home here is built:
Many Filipino homes cook the frying and the stews outside the main kitchen, in a dirty kitchen at the back. Mark it as a kitchen: where its stove stands is what the classical texts care about, and the south-east is their first choice.
Often a small room off the service area. Mark it as a staff bedroom; the classical place for one is the north-west.
Where the washing machine and the drying racks go. Mark it as a utility area; the north-west or the south-east suit it by tradition.
A covered lanai or patio counts as open space. Tradition likes open space to the north and east of a home.
Read as parking. Traditionally best: North-West, traditionally the zone of movement (Vayu). South-East is also acceptable.
Mark the outline of your own unit. The door you unlock to enter it is the one whose position (pada) is checked; the lobby and the lift are not part of it.
The sun over a Philippine home
India's midday sun sits in the southern sky for most of the year, and the classical texts assume it. In Metro Manila it is on the north side of the sky for about 108 days, centred on June, when it stands about 81° high; in December it is about 52° high, to the south. In Davao, closer to the equator, the northern spell lasts about 148 days.
VastuIQ keeps the classical directions all the same. Two local facts are worth knowing when you pick a unit: the habagat, the south-west monsoon, drives the heaviest rain onto south- and west-facing walls from June to September, and west-facing units heat up through the afternoon. Units that open to the north or east avoid both, and that is also the side classical Vastu wants open.
New to Vastu? What it is, in brief
Vastu Shastra is a traditional Indian system of architecture and home layout, set out in Sanskrit texts such as the Mayamata and the Manasara. It divides a home into eight directional zones around its centre and suggests which rooms and activities suit which zone. Many Indian families use it when they buy, build or arrange a home, and so do people of other backgrounds who are curious about how a home is laid out.
Kept the lightest and least cluttered part of the home; a good place for prayer or quiet.
The zone traditionally linked with Agni, fire, so it is the classical place for cooking.
Linked with weight and stability; tradition places the main bedroom and heavy storage here.
It is a cultural tradition, not a science, and it does not promise outcomes. VastuIQ shows what the classical texts recommend, measured accurately for your home and your city, and you decide what to do with it. Most of the report's fixes need no building work: they are about how rooms are used and arranged.
Subdivisions and the homeowners' association
In a house in a subdivision or a gated village, the homeowners' association sets rules for the front of the house and the shared roads; in a condo, the condominium corporation and the property manager do. Choose Own it (building rules) and the report leads with fixes inside the home, marking anything structural as "If renovating".
Compass vs true north in the Philippines
Across the Philippines a compass points about 1½–3° west of true north, a little more in the north. Your score uses the exact figure for your own city.
| City | Compass vs true north | Daylight, mid-winter to mid-summer |
|---|---|---|
| Baguio, Cordillera | 3.1° west | 11.2 – 13.1 h |
| Angeles City, Central Luzon | 2.8° west | 11.2 – 13.0 h |
| Quezon City, Metro Manila | 2.8° west | 11.3 – 13.0 h |
| Manila, Metro Manila | 2.7° west | 11.3 – 13.0 h |
| Pasig, Metro Manila | 2.7° west | 11.3 – 13.0 h |
| Makati, Metro Manila | 2.7° west | 11.3 – 13.0 h |
| Bonifacio Global City, Metro Manila | 2.7° west | 11.3 – 13.0 h |
| Parañaque, Metro Manila | 2.7° west | 11.3 – 13.0 h |
| Calamba, Calabarzon | 2.7° west | 11.3 – 13.0 h |
| Iloilo City, Western Visayas | 2.1° west | 11.5 – 12.8 h |
| Bacolod, Western Visayas | 2.1° west | 11.5 – 12.8 h |
| Cebu City, Central Visayas | 2.1° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Lapu-Lapu City, Central Visayas | 2.1° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Cagayan de Oro, Northern Mindanao | 1.7° west | 11.6 – 12.6 h |
| Davao, Davao | 1.5° west | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Zamboanga, Zamboanga Peninsula | 1.4° west | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
Calculated for 2026 with the World Magnetic Model WMM-2025 (NOAA / British Geological Survey) and NOAA solar equations. "East" means a compass points to the east of true north.
Check one home, or compare your shortlist
- Score out of 100 and its band
- Your top three issues
- True north correction for your city
- Every room scored, with no-cost and low-cost fixes
- Your floor plans with the zones at true north
- Centre, front door and pada
- Action plan, 90-day plan and checklist
- Two or three homes side by side
- Which home fits Vastu best, and why
- Plus the full report for the home you choose
Prices are charged in US dollars and your bank converts them; local amounts are a guide.
Vastu in the Philippines: questions people ask
Does Vastu work in the Philippines?
Yes. The tradition works by compass direction, and north, east, south and west mean the same in Makati as in Mumbai. Get north right on the plan, mark Filipino spaces such as the dirty kitchen and the lanai properly, and the reading holds. Vastu is a tradition; it does not promise outcomes.
Can I check a pre-selling unit from the brochure?
Yes, and that is the best time to do it, before you pay the reservation fee. Use the site plan in the brochure to find north, because unit plans are usually drawn to fit the page rather than to the compass.
My house has a dirty kitchen and a clean kitchen. Which one counts?
Both. Each is scored where it stands. If one of them falls in the south-east, the classical first choice for fire, the report treats that as your main cooking place.
Do I need to correct my compass for Vastu in the Philippines?
Slightly: about 3° west in Metro Manila, 3° west in Baguio, 2° west in Cebu and 1° west in Davao (World Magnetic Model). VastuIQ applies it automatically.
The sun is in the north part of the year here. Does Vastu change?
The Philippines is north of the equator, so VastuIQ keeps the classical directions. The report shows the sun facts for your address as measurements beside the Vastu reading, not as Vastu rules.
Can I compare condo units before reserving?
Yes. Use Compare 2–3 homes: the side-by-side comparison is free, and Home Buyer Compare (US$79, about ₱4,977) adds a PDF that ranks the units and includes the full report for the one you choose.
Vastu for homes in other countries
Written by Manoj Jangra, founder of VastuIQ. Last updated 20 October 2026.
Vastu Shastra is a traditional and cultural practice. VastuIQ reports are not engineering, legal, financial or medical advice and do not promise any outcome.