The asinine critics of President Rody Duterte had resorted to the most absurd low blows in the unrelenting effort to humiliate him before the ongoing Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Bangkok.

It started with the manipulation of the popular Bangkok Post to make it look like Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn had directed Rody to behave while visiting the country, and the other day, another persistent detractor exploited a FIFA event where an edited video made Rody look like he had been disregarded in the distribution of honorary soccer jerseys.

Of course, nothing of such sort happened since FIFA head Gianni Infantino in the authentic video handed out the jersey to the President after having seemingly misplaced it.

The campaign to stalk the President with the goal of embarrassing him before the world which is focused on the summit is on overdrive, particularly as Chile had junked holding the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum thus allowing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to gather momentum.

The RCEP, which is led by China and has the full support of Rody, will replace the Western nation-led APEC as the biggest economic grouping in the world by next year.

Rody had also gained huge ASEAN support for prodding China to lend its hand to the crafting of the final form of the Code of Conduct (CoC) in the disputed maritime area that will be the sole accord that Beijing said it would accede to in relation to the conflicting territorial claims.

While aggressively pushing the CoC, Rody advised ASEAN members and China to exercise self-restraint in asserting their claims.

The touch of leadership of Rody, contrary to the isolation in the international stage that his detractors wanted to peddle, is already radiating through the grouping of the most progressive nations in the world.

A leadership vacuum exists in the global trade arena that China is now filling as the United States under President Donald Trump retreats to protectionist measures as the American President tries to bolster his political image.

Rody’s foresight had seen such an eventuality and had taken the stance to strengthen relations with China under an independent foreign policy that moves away from utter dependence on the United States.

Since the region is now being looked upon as a global economic pacesetter, leadership is also being demanded to come from this part of the world.

The gap is being filled by the new brand of leadership that shares the view that an integrated world promises more substantial and long-lasting progress rather than confining economic returns for self-aggrandizement and backsliding on the gains of free trade.

The detractors of Rody are simply wary of his growing reputation as one of the leading voices within the ASEAN and the entire region which is a huge setback to their effort to reestablish political relevance.

The frantic and worthless effort to demonize him is deeply rooted in such yellow anxieties.