[jhugo]

Yeah, they're an incredibly blunt tool.

I'm not in PH but in the region, and know a few recent Russian émigrés here. They've eventually been able to open an account after trying a few banks. The banks are concerned about unknowingly dealing with a sanctioned person or business, and consequently having trouble with their access to EU and US banking systems. Banks in PH in particular often do a lot of US business, you may consider looking for a bank that does not (e.g., banks dealing more with China).