MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has been granted official clearance by Malacañang to travel abroad for 22 days while impeachment proceedings are ongoing in the House of Representatives.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto confirmed on Wednesday that the Office of the President approved Duterte’s travel request covering visits to the Netherlands, South Korea, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom from April 23 to May 15.
Duterte is expected to be on leave during the trip, which her office said will not incur any cost to the government.
The approval comes at a time when the House Committee on Justice continues deliberations on impeachment complaints filed against the Vice President.
In recent years, Duterte’s overseas trips have shifted from official government functions to more personal and advocacy-related activities following her resignation as education secretary in 2024. These include engagements connected to efforts involving her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently facing detention proceedings in The Hague.
Data presented in 2025 showed that she spent a total of 61 days abroad during 17 separate trips, accounting for a significant portion of her international travel that year.
Her frequent foreign visits have drawn criticism from Malacañang, which previously described some of her extended trips as “long vacation days.”
For 2026, the Office of the Vice President has been allocated P56 million for travel expenses, the lowest since she assumed office.
ia/xf
