Statement of Malacañang on Cong. Paolo Duterte’s Request for Travel Clearance
Malacañang press officer undersecretary Claire Castro reacted to Davao 1st District Congressman Paolo Duterte’s looming 2-month overseas trip.
Members of the House of Representatives need to request for a Travel Clearance if they desire to travel abroad. In this case, Davao Cong. Paolo Duterte recently requested for a Travel Clearance as he plans to visit 17 countries from December 15, 2025 to February 20, 2026.
Duterte wrote a letter to House Speaker Bojie Dy. In his letter, the son of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte claimed that his overseas trip with stops to 16 countries will utilize his personal money for the expenses. The Netherlands is one of the countries mentioned by the Davao Congressman in his letter and many believes that it is for the visit to his detained father.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s interim release plea was recently denied by the ICC (International Criminal Court). He remains detained under the custody of the foreign court for 9 months now. He is faced with three (3) counts of murder as alleged “crimes against humanity” filed by the ICC prosecutor.
“Rest assured that the expenses that will be incurred from this trip are from my personal funds alone,” Duterte said.
Based on the letter of Davao Cong. Paolo Duterte to House Speaker Bojie Dy, he intends to attend to the House sessions virtually if he will be permitted to take an overseas trip for two (2) months. He plans to make stops in the following countries abroad:
- Hong Kong
- China
- Malaysia
- Indonesia
- South Korea
- Japan
- Vietnam
- Cambodia
- United States
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- Netherlands
- Germany
- France
- Belgium
- Italy
- Singapore
Davao Cong. Paolo Duterte did not disclose the reason for his 2-month overseas trip. Recently, Malacañang was asked to comment on the plan of the House member.
Based on a post of News5 on social media, during a press conference, Malacañang press officer undersecretary Claire Castro stressed that Davao Cong. Paolo Duterte must allegedly explain to his constituents the reason behind his “vacation”.
“Lahat ng public servant, dapat nagsisilbi sa bayan at kung magbabakasyon ng mahigit dalawang buwan, hindi natin alam kung paano niya i-e-explain ito sa kanyang constituents,” the Malacañang official said based on the post.
Atty. Claire Castro also stressed her belief that Davao Cong. Paolo Duterte should explain despite that it will not be an official travel. House Speaker Bojie Dy has yet to respond to the request of Duterte for a Travel Clearance.
“Dapat malaman ng mga constituents niya dahil more than two months siyang mawawala. Kahit hindi siya official travel kasi lahat ng public servant dapat nagsisilbi sa bayan,” Castro said.
Amid the detention of the former President in The Hague, his lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, claimed that former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte wants to spend Christmas with his family.