A YT video stated that one good and cheap way to transfer money from the U.S. to the Phils is to maintain a U.S. dollar acct in the U.S. (he recommended Wells Fargo on yhe U.S. side); open a Peso savings acct with a Philippine bank; and to set up a transfer link between them, all before leaving the U.S.
The bank I ended up contacting was PNB (likely because they have a branch, albeit with limited services, nearby). I have the account setup paperwork, but I noticed that their online cistomer service reviews are poor.
I'm posting here to ask whether this arrangement is really beneficial or needed, or whether other approaches to transferring money are as effective.
(There is a moderate burden to setting up the account: trusting the bank with about $250 U.S., driving a substantial distance to a local branch to have my ID documents authenticated, and waiting 2-3 months (!) to have the account set up and ready).
If anyone has feedback specifically about PNB, that would even more helpful still.