House grants Paolo Duterte travel clearance for personal trip to 16 countries
Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte has been granted a travel clearance for his personal trip to 16 countries, including the Netherlands.
According to the travel clearance issued by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, Rodrigo Duterte's eldest son was cleared for personal trips to 16 countries from March 20 to May 10.
These include Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, the United States of America, Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, and Singapore.
The elder Duterte is currently held in The Hague, Netherlands, facing charges of crimes against humanity related to his bloody war on drugs.
His children Vice President Sara Duterte and Rep. Paolo followed him to The Hague.
On March 12, Paolo secured a travel clearance for his personal trips to the Netherlands and Japan from March 12 to April 15. In his letter, he said that expenditures that will be incurred will come from his personal funds alone.
Rules on government officials' foreign travel
Local government officials and employees cannot leave the country without proper documentation and clearance from their agency, regardless of whether their travel is related to government work or personal matters, according to OP Memorandum Circular No. 35 s., of 2017.
Section 1 of the memo states that no official travel abroad shall be allowed unless it satisfies all of the minimum criteria: the purpose of the trip is strictly within the government official's mandate; projected expenses for the travel are not excessive; and the trip is expected to bring "substantial" benefit to the country.
Request for travel authority and supporting documents for members of the Cabinet and officials of equivalent rank must be submitted to the Malacañang Records Office at least 10 working days before the date of departure. In some cases, the MRO will accept the documents two working days before the trip. The Office of the President is the approving authority for the travel clearance of the said officials.
For local government officials, the Secretary of Interior and Local Government approves unofficial travels. All of the required documents must be filed at least seven working days before the trip.
According to DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2022-147, personal trips of elected officials can exceed three months, but they must submit a duly accomplished and approved leave of absence or a medical certificate if it's for medical reasons.
