I must disagree with the last poster. We vacationed in Manila last year and are going back this year. A lot depends on how you do Manila. Search this forum for my trip report and you will see that Manila is a great place to be based. There are numerous places to visit with two hours of the city. Manila itself has great restaurants, some historical venues, great nightlife.
Yes there is poverty and some touts, scams but no more so that other major Asian cities. Yes Bangkok is a great city and one should certainly visit Bangkok (we were there last year). But don't rule out Manila- I think it does have a lot to offer.