It totally depends where you are and what you are doing (eg expat working in Manila v retirement in the provinces)
I live in a walled village on the outskirts of Manila and rarely see another white face however I also travel internationally a lot for work so I am a bit of an anomaly
The village is safe and comfortable although if I want Starbucks, TGI Friday, cinema, etc I have to leave my relative comfort and that's where it all goes downhill. Anything that involves going further into Metro Manila means I either go by myself on 2 wheels (bicycle or motorbike) which is fine or I encounter horrendous traffic. By way of example, getting to Ortigas by 2 wheels takes 40 minutes but by 4 wheels takes 2 hours or more. I refuse to go to Makati or BGC on 4 wheels it's just not worth it
However going in the opposite direction especially on a bicycle is great fun as I immediately get to the Sierra Madre. The mountains are clean and green, food is good and cheap and there's no traffic
We also have a place out in the boondocks with again no white people. It's nice to visit once in a while but unless you want to be a farmer there's nothing to do and terrible Internet
My advice to someone who wants to retire here would be to pick a location with enough foreigners and things to do but avoid Metro Manila like the plague
Alternatively, if you are here for work, then live and work in BGC and never leave the area
Basically if you want somewhere quiet with good English that is always warm and is cheap the Philippines provinces are a good option. However if you need modern conveniences and a more city lifestyle go somewhere else
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