Interesting that the Philippines was an American colony and is modeled on American democracy. It’s a country incredibly rich in natural resources but corruption has taken it down the tube. After WWII it was the richest and best educated country in Asia. In the mean time, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore have become rich countries while the PI stagnated. Even Thailand, Malaysia, Communist China and Communist Vietnam are surpasing the PI in terms of growth and development.
The PI has incredible natural beauty and warm weather. I can see the attraction to move there, if you know how to deal with the downside.