Been many discussions with foreigner friends on the laws here eg; crimes against women and not being able to own land here and it being very hard to own a business, its been said that a foreigner can own land and run and own a business in Malaysia. Please leave me out of the crimes against women ok??? Been there done that.
I think the main group there are Brits so I was told, and yes I think you can own property and a business. When getting a visa they do check your income and how you will survive there. I know someone who was there for a while and was said the people are very friendly and will put them selves out to help people but as we know, not everyone has the same views on a country!
Malaysia I looked at retiring to Sarawak, before I met my asawa. They have a 'silver hair' retirement scheme similar to the PRA, but the deposit is (was 4 years ago) $50000. Foreigners can own land / property there, but it tends to be more expensive than Philippines, as is the cost of living. There are a couple of good uni's there (Kuching and Miri) with affiliations to Australian uni's, so it might be a consideration for someone with teenage kids.