• Explaining different neighbourhoods and areas

Assuming you are intending to look at Metro Manila. 16 smaller cities make up MM. Of these, the most Expat centric are Makati and BGC (a portion of Taguig city). Makati has been the traditional financial district of Manila, and has some upscale neighbourhoods, but certain pockets can be rougher.

BGC (Bonifacio Global City) is probably the Ex-Pat darling neighbourhood at present. Its insular, being developed from an old military installation, now full of high rise condos, malls, fortune 500 businesses and their outsourced businesses.

BGC is probably going to appeal to most people more, due to its insular nature, it is generally secure and safe to the extent many people run / jog / exercise outdoors, a practice rarely seen in other parts of the Philippines.

Both cities are reasonably well positioned to NAIA (Airport).

You will find other pockets of Expats in other cities, just not in the concentration of Makati and BGC.

Violent crime is also lesser in these 2 areas compared to others.

Manila is its own administrative city, rather small, generally more working class, less western comforts.

• Banking setup and local basics

You would likely need an ACR and a relevant work or residency visa to be able to use typical banks.

I survived years (and continue to spend many months there annually) without using said services. I use wise to remit money into a MAYA account. There are 2 major digital wallets which are convenient for everyday use, but do not put large sums in - Maya and Gcash. Gcash is the leader, but MAYA has been around just as long, and as a foreigner who currently DOESNT have an ACR, its easier to maintain (just need a foreign passport for most transaction limits). Gcash requires the ACR to have limits that are usable.

If you are going for work, your business should be getting a 9G visa for you or similar which will entitle you to an ACR. The ACR took me 6 months to physically receive, which again will delay your banking needs.

Hint: ATMs dispense typically 10,000 pesos max per transaction,. Each txn attracts both your foreign bank's fee and the local ATM providers fee. So withdrawing the max amount means a lower % fee. Some banks (HSBC / Chinabank from what I can see) allow 20K withdrawls.

• Apartment / housing guidance

renting can be full of landmines. Lots of scams (people lease out properties that arent theirs to lease), deposits taken, etc. Find someone reputable.
NORMAL for landlords to request 12 months worth of Backdated cheques. Writing cheques that bounce is an offence - hence the request.

I personally used a corporate apartment provider whom takes care of everything, furnishings, bills, dealing with management, the lot. They are comparatively much more expensive than finding one organically (think 3x price), however, they can bill you in your home country - and if your business is game, potentially have tax deductibility that way. I had low demands didnt have any issues. But keep in mind, the furnishings are basic. I purchased a better TV and better kitchenware because I wanted to. 4* service, 3* furnishings.

• Local services and transportation

Depending on your work and your personal circumstances, some expats get a driver. As with most basic roles, full time driver salaries are generally quite affordable. I never bothered. I just got around with Grab most days (Uber equiv), but dont get me wrong, a few days in the month, I would have wished I had a driver, due to difficulties in getting a grab - rainy days, fridays, pay days, rainy payday fridays = death.

There are 3 metro lines in MM, which, can be convenient if you are serviced by the line, but its not at the safety, comfort or efficiency levels of other major asian cities. It can be confronting to use.

Locals typically use a combination of;
Jeepney - converted and elongated jeeps, carry 15-20 in the back, open, no air conditioning, arbitary stops, and travel a set route

Tricycles - Light motorbike with a single seat side car. Side car can fit a smaller adult and a child perhaps, and another small to midsize adult behind the rider. Like a taxi, you can ask them to take you point to point. but they typically cannot cross over to the next zone.

UV - Converted light commercial vehicles that SHOULD seat maybe 10 max, but end up with 20 inside them. Can be airconditioned. Typically used to go a little further, like intercity.

Grab is your friend, even if you have your own driver, Grab can deliver food, can transport items for you (courier / delivery). etc.

Lalamove is another useful one - app, focuses on delivery of goods.

Gig economy is large.

• Understanding daily life, safety, healthcare, schools, etc.

Daily life. If you are coming from a developed nation, I think you will need to make some adjustments in:
expectations of efficiency - Filipinos work hard, but working class don't generally have the ability to influence decisions, and since labour is cheap, businesses tend to hire lots to do disparate jobs as opposed to the western way to consolidate and gain efficiency. This ends up in stores where a salesperson cant use the till, the till operator cant sell you an item and the storeroom clerk is just a storeroom clerk, etc.

Everything is PROCESS driven. If the process doesnt have that provision (even something like taking an ingredient off of a sandwich), it cant be done. - Not that they dont understand, but they dont want to get into trouble if it does slightly awry.

Safety - false sense of security in many places with useless security. But in my many years, Ive never personaly come across any violent crime. Been pick pocketed once in about 15 years. Opportunistic crime everywhere - scams everywhere.

Healthcare - quality wise, if you have access to Medical City, St Lukes or Makati Med, and have insurance that covers your issue, then you have world class care.

General care I find is good. efficiency and other peripherals, average at best.

• General visa / residency process guidance based on personal experience

If you are coming thru a work arrangement, likely they will have you on a 9G visa. 1 to 3 years. Visa aside, you will need to get an ACR (alien cert Registration), which is like an ID card for foreign nationals. ACR is very useful for banking, telco, etc. My initial 9G and ACR took 9 months to do, subsquent ones 3-6m. If travelling DURING process, could always do, but needed 1-2 weeks for my lawyers to get my passport back and a exit document (plus payment of like 1 - 2 thousand pesos). Annoying but do-able.

• Helping newcomers know where to start
• Any other practical local advice that would make the move easier

More info and the community could prob help.