is dumaguete still a safe place to retire to

Staying out of Mindanao may still be a good idea for a newbie.  The Island of Negros is close but in my 3 trips there I found the people to be very friendly towards me as an American.  Link with other expats that live there and get more of a local expat spin.  Nevertheless, there is a Washington Post article that quotes a Pew Research Center survey which states:

"In 2015, 92 percent of respondents in the Philippines said they had a favorable view of the United States; only 54 percent said they regarded China favorably. Filipinos' enthusiasm for the United States was considerably greater than attitudes in other traditional American allies in Asia, including Japan and South Korea. As one Manila-based newspaper put it in 2014, "Filipinos like the U.S. even more than the Americans do.""

thank you,but I was more concerned with the threat of isis,being so near to dumaguete

I agree that the trouble is not with the Filipino community, but the terrorist activity. Talking to locals they express the same concerns. The recent terrorist activity has the state department advise to exercise extreme caution.

Great question, Ben. I've had the same one. Been living in top north of Cebu for over 3 years, and have travelled all over the Phils. 4 months ago, decided I needed to move to a larger City, and Dumaguete was high on the list. Specifically, Velencia, 14 km's from there, in the mountain, with cooler temps. Siquijor is a fun island very close. lots of expats, but beaches not so good. But, the locals are awesome, and I love university towns, with good energy. Then, the thing in Bohol, and sightings in Negros made me wonder. Marawi...almost 2 months and still fighting. Russia and the U.S. recently agreed to work together (cough, cough) in Syria. Lots of reports that ISIS is being forced out of the Middle East and landing here, forging pacts with the local rebels who have for decades gone mostly hungry and losing.

Of course, this is just my own opinion, but I now see the Visayas as the possible next battleground for the large influx of ISIS coming here. Which is why I've now chosen Luzon to move to for a few years to get a feel. Rather than "retire to" Dumaguete, come and look around. Subic Bay is similar to there. Tagaytay has lots of expats and shopping, as does Puerta Galara to some extent. Me, I'm going to give Baguio a try. Not sure of your experience here, but I will say that in the Phils, the cost of travel by bus, taxi or boat is pretty much nothing.