PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte spent most of his first 10 months in office traveling to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) countries, among others, in order to build strong personal ties with his fellow heads of state and government in preparation for the Asean summit, now underway at the Philippine International Convention Center. It is the first time he is hosting a major international event; he obviously wants it to be an unqualified success. And he has put a lot of effort into it.