Well Koala, your experience of living in the Philippines is far more extensive than mine.
It's sad that you find Dumaguete no longer suits you.
Personally I find there's always plenty of negative publicity relating to the potential dangers of Philippines living and an overall lack of safety and security especially for 'foreigners'. Plenty of places here in UK I would avoid living in at all costs for the very same reasons. Signs of the times I guess..... shame.
Crime and danger lurk everywhere. Certainly in most of the places I have lived, including Japan which is meant to be one of the safest places. Plenty of very nasty teen gangs there, often competing with each other for vacancies within the Yakuza.
The American styled 'wanna-be' groups calling themselves Crips and Bloods are allegedly present in a number of places in the Philippines.
Until your post I'd never really heard about any activity in Dumaguete, but I certainly did hear about some activity in Cebu and increasingly now in Angeles.
I hope Cebu suits your expectations, it has a reputation of being a relatively safe city, especially for 'foreigners'.
I've always enjoyed my stays in Cebu and found it a great place for imported foods of all kinds. It's a good base for exploring loads of other places too, with it's good transportation links.
Thanks for taking the time to share your views and experience and good luck for your future plans.
