DUTERTE THE DIPLOMAT

President Duterte will present a facet not often seen before, not in the focus and intensity that the Asean Summit 2917 will do, from Sunday until Tuesday, Nov. 12-14. The Philippines is chairman of Asean this year and host to the largest gathering of world leaders under the auspices of the region’s alliance. .

Last Saturday, Duterte made the pitch for Asean or Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a 10-country alliance, to be a hub for the Asia-Pacific region in broad range of cooperative thrusts. In an informal meeting between leaders of Asean and Apec or Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, composed of 21 economies, including the U.S. and China.

Duterte the diplomat has so far hidden the personality that the nation and the rest of the world saw glimpses and heard snatches of: his tirades against critics of his campaign on illegal drugs and warnings of no meddling with Philippine affairs..

No expletive yet, at least not in his formal speech. The threat to slap a U.N. human rights official was made in an interview.