Palace okays VP Sara Duterte’s rescheduled foreign trips

Malacañang on Saturday confirmed that the Office of the President has approved the rescheduled foreign trips of Vice President Sara Duterte, now set from 2 to 15 May.

The development follows earlier confusion over Duterte’s travel plans after she initially sought clearance for a multi-country visit but did not proceed, citing the alleged late release of travel documents.

In an earlier announcement dated 22 April, Malacañang said Duterte had already been granted authority to travel to five countries — the Netherlands, South Korea, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom — within the 23 April to 15 May window.

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto previously confirmed that the Office of the President issued the approval document, authorizing the Vice President to travel while on official leave of absence and at no expense to the government.

The clearance also supersedes any previously issued travel authority covering the same destinations and period.

However, on 23 April, Duterte said the trip would no longer push through, alleging that Malacañang released the travel authority at the last minute. The Palace denied the claim, saying she received the document a day before her scheduled departure.

The issue comes as Duterte has been skipping House impeachment proceedings while facing scrutiny over alleged misuse of funds and betrayal of public trust.

Amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East and questions over “suspicious” multi-billion-peso transactions linked to Duterte and her husband, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro questioned the timing of the trip.

“Is it prudent to take a vacation?” Castro said, adding, “What matters most now is why the Vice President changed her mind. What made her change her mind is the P6.7-billion question,” referring to bank transactions flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.