<blockquote rel="LokiJr">Would it be equally advantageous to setup a citibank account here in the Philippines bago magmigrate?</blockquote>
Free withdrawal if using an ATM machine of Citibank (no fee) - but you COULD be hit with a massive FX conversion fee...
That is it... I don't trust withdrawing ATM from abroad though, I almost got screwed up on this last week when I relied on my Citibank SG account for withdrawal in Taiwan. Turned out, my card was not recognized for some reason. It could happen in Australia or anywhere else.
Good thing the wife brought some cold cash otherwise I will be forced to beg... đŸ˜‰ lolz!