Last week Asean suffered another blow after the Philippines joined the list of countries under the rule of people who go crazy with power.
With the landslide victory of Rodrigo Duterte, a foul-mouthed fan of death squads, Filipinos face the prospect of a president who will show little tolerance for anything said or done against him.
Mr Duterte has some traits that we in Thailand are familiar with, having lived under a dictatorial regime led by the coup leader Prayut Chan-o-cha since May 2014.
Most notable is an uncontrollable mouth that is likely to say anything. In a country where 90% of the people are Roman Catholic, the presidential palace in Manila will soon be occupied by a man who called Pope Francis a "son of a whore". Mr Duterte has also threatened to declare a "revolutionary government" if he is not able to get his policies through.