I lived in the Philippines for many years, during this time I was working for a large multinational company. The pay was good, healthcare and administrative issues were dealt with by the HR people... we did not have the hassle of dealing with the local government for visas, etc etc.
In short we had a western UK/USA life style in the Phils... and yes it was a good experience.
However, if you are a loner, where you have to provide everything for yourself, then the Phils can become a nightmare. People experiencing the Phils for the first time assume that it is a cheap place to live, and a few quid under the bed will go a long way..
Well it will not if you want to maintain a decent lifestyle... car.. house.. healthcare insurance... day to day expenses etc....
The chances are that you will not find employment.. the Phils has thousands of degree qualified candidates for these jobs. In short there is no shortage of skilled and talented labor.
Think about the Phils when you are comming up to retirement.. you have a nest egg, a pension, a house in the UK etc...
Your independemt means will then remove you from some of the above risks. However, just keep in mind that you will never have the sort of health and social parachutes that we all have become used to in the UK..
AJ