My wife is filipina and I've been to the Philippines 3 times in the last 7 years: durations of 1 month, 8 days (with 10 additional in Malaysia), and 2 weeks.

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1. U.S. dollars are accepted most everywhere and food is VERY cheap.

U.S. dollars are accepted in high traffic tourist areas... outside of that, hit or miss. Exchange rate is extremely favorable... just exchange at the Ninoy Aquino BPI branch as soon as you get in country and you'll never have to worry.

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3. Get a good guide/driver. A lot of locals make their living from ripping off foreigners and travelers.

This is sort of true... There is a good chance Filipinos in any capacity will try to rip you off in one way or another... but they are also, as a general rule, extremely nice and treat Americans, in particular, like royalty. As far as transportation goes, public transport is ubiquitous throughout all parts of the Philippines, and you can get literally anywhere via public transportation. Wife and I traveled for three weeks riding only buses and jeepneys and taking the occasional taxi (which are dirt cheap by the way).

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4. Try to learn a little tagalog to avoid getting ripped off.

If you're going to stick to heavily touristed areas, I wouldn't bother... however, Filipinos do really enjoy Americans trying to speak Tagalog... pretty much always puts a smile on their face, particularly when your pronunciation is terrible. If you already know some Spanish, about half of Tagalog words are stolen directly from the Spanish language, albeit with different wording. For example, "How are you?" is kumusta ka (or po for formal), pronounced almost the same as "Como esta?"

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5. Avoid rural forested areas in the southern island. ISIS hides out in these areas and they target travelers to kidnap and ransom. It’s apparently really bad. I have spoken to immigrants from the Philippines to the U.S. and many report still being scared of traveling through heavily forested areas in the U.S. because they still fear the bandits and terrorists.

The Southern half of Mindanao (the 2nd largest island in the Philippines) is a mess, and there are 4 provinces (states) that make up the AMMR (autonomous Muslim Mindanao Region), which is semi-self governing and where there is significant terrorist activity. If you are not going to Mindanao, which I wouldn't advise if it's your first time in country and you're alone, you dont need to worry. There is also a Communist guerilla group that has operated in Pi since the 70s called the NPA (New People's Army I believe)... but they've died down in recent years... every few months they'll assassinate a local mayor or something like that, but you dont have to worry too much about them. My wife has a few relatives who ran off to join them and live in the mountains with them, and they're pretty active in her hometown but it really isnt a big deal. Worry first about the bus you're in driving off a cliffside... that's much more likely.

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6. Manilla is a cosmopolitan entertainment city that never sleeps. It’s like an asian Vegas/New York.

Manila is a great city that will also open your eyes to what TRUE poverty looks like... there are massive malls, skyscrapers being built EVERYWHERE, and people living in cardboard boxes and begging all over. The city during the day and the city after 10pm are two completely different animals... good or bad, depending on what you like and want to see.

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8. Do not do drugs or spend time with people who do. The President has essentially called for vigilante lynch mobs to kill all drug users and dealers.

Additionally, there are MASSIVE criminal penalties for drug possession/use/distribution... like, decades in prison... and being a US citizen won't help very much, if at all.

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9. The country is infamous for sex tourism, so don’t be surprised if people crack wise about that being the reason you’re going or if locals try to convince you to go to a brothel.

Lots of prostitutes, to be sure, particularly in high traffic tourist areas... it's not technically legal, but as stated, it is a big driver of tourists, so the government at all levels more or less looks the other way... be aware that many prostitutes in the Philippines are sex trafficked, more or less sold by their families, and/or are underage as well, so like the drugs, I would stay away from anything having to do with the red light scene.

I'll address your original post and add some more info later when it isn't 3am.