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Undated photo shows Rep. Paolo Duterte (Davao, 1st District)
The Philippine STAR / File photo
MANILA, Philippines — After former President Rodrigo Duterte left for The Hague to face the International Criminal Court, his son Rep. Paolo "Pulong" Duterte secured a House travel clearance to follow him.
Secretary General Reginald Velasco told reporters Wednesday, March 12, that Paolo submitted his travel clearance request addressed to House Speaker Martin Romualdez the day before.
“This representation seeks the issuance of a revised travel clearance for my personal trip to the Netherlands and Japan from the 12th of March to 15th of April, 2025,” the request read.
Paolo also said that he would be using his personal funds to cover the trip’s expenses.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez approved Paolo’s request, granting him travel clearance for the specified period.
“As requested, travel clearance is hereby granted to the Honorable Paolo Z. Duterte, Representative, 1st District, Davao City, in connection with his personal trip to the Netherlands and Japan on March 12 to April 15, 2025,” the clearance read.
NEWS UPDATE: House Speaker Martin Romualdez approved the travel clearance request of Rep. Paolo Duterte on March 12, according to Secretary General Reginald Velasco. | via @domnqeflores pic.twitter.com/DQRcvj6N0d
— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) March 12, 2025Rodrigo is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for a layover en route to Rotterdam, Netherlands, after his arrest by Philippine authorities on the ICC's warrant for crimes against humanity on March 11.
He is under investigation by the international tribunal for his anti-drug campaign, which led to thousands of extrajudicial killings, estimated by rights groups at 12,000 to 30,000.
Vice President Sara Duterte, Rodrigo’s daughter, is heading to the Netherlands via flight number EK337 (Emirates) along with a legal team to help her father. This was confirmed by the Office of the Vice President on Wednesday morning.
RELATED: Sara Duterte flies to the Netherlands to help father in ICC case
The ICC issued the originally “secret” warrant of arrest on March 7, only disclosing the document on their website on March 11 after Duterte was arrested.
According to Malacañang, the warrant of arrest was coursed through the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), which the Philippines still has commitments with.
The ICC lacks its own police force to enforce warrants, relying instead on member states and Interpol for arrests and transfers.
Rodrigo’s family has condemned his arrest as illegal, with his camp filing petitions before the Supreme Court to bring him back to the Philippines and declare the government's cooperation with the ICC unconstitutional.
However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement on Wednesday that the arrest “strictly adhered to domestic and international legal procedures.”
The DOJ stated that authorities received a copy of the arrest warrant from Interpol, with DOJ prosecutors present when the Philippine National Police (PNP) carried out the arrest at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) yesterday.
It added that law enforcement informed Duterte of his rights and the charges against him.
