MANILA - The Philippine capital is the 2nd most traffic-congested city in the world, according to a study by a Netherlands-based global data provider.

According to TomTom's 2019 Traffic Index, Manila followed the Indian city of Bengaluru (1st) in the most traffic-plagued areas in the world.

Bogota, Colombia (3rd) and the Indian cities of Mumbai (4th) and Pune (5th) followed Manila in the top 5 most congested cities.

Based on the report, most motorists in Manila spent an average of 71 percent extra travel time stuck in traffic last year.

In 2019, a Manila commuter or motorist spent an additional 257 hours in traffic while driving during peak hours, the report said.

During the time spent on roads, they could have planted 258 trees, or watched 227 episodes of Game of Thrones, according to the traffic index.

The report suggested motorists and commuters to best avoid the 6 p.m. rush hour during Fridays since it's when the worst of traffic jams occur.

"Traveling after 7 PM on Friday could save you up to 5 hours per year (for a 30-minute commute)," the Traffic Index read.

TomTom noted that Manila recorded the least traffic on April 19 due to the observance of Good Friday, while its highest was on August 19, when it recorded 107 percent congestion.