Moving to Manila for Work, Not Sure Where to Star

Hi All,

I am from Sydney Australia and I will be moving to Manila in just over week’s time for work. This is the first time I will be working overseas and for the first few weeks I will have a hotel but after that I need to sort out everything.

I have looked around on many expat websites in Philippines but I haven’t really found any of the answers I have been looking for so I am hoping someone here would be able to assist.

If there are any other expats from Australia or any other place who might be able to assist me or point me in the right direction I would highly appreciate it. These are some of the questions I have:
Does anyone know a good, reputable and honest relocation agent in Manila who would be able to help me look for an apartment and help with all the paperwork, etc ?
What are the best areas I should look for accommodation ? I would really like to stay in area where there is a high expat population. I am ideally looking for a 2 bed room apartment. Is there a good website I should look at ?
What is the best way to open a bank account in Manila ? Should I go with a local bank or something like HSBC and open an expat account while I am in Sydney ?

I would highly appreciate any advice or information that anyone can give me.