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As dad fights ICC charges, Pulong Duterte gets House clearance for 17-stop foreign trip

March 25, 2025 | 4:01pm

As dad fights ICC charges, Pulong Duterte gets House clearance for 17-stop foreign trip

Paolo Duterte, eldest son of former President Rodrigo Duterte, attends a Senate probe over illegal drug trade allegations on Sept. 7, 2017.

The Philippine STAR / KJ Rosales, file

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 9:27 p.m.) — House Speaker Martin Romualdez approved a travel clearance for Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte (Davao, 1st District) on March 20, allowing him to visit 17 foreign destinations during the congressional break.

This serves as the second revision to Duterte's original request. The first revision was submitted on March 11, the day his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested.

The initial request, granted on March 12, approved his travel to Japan and the Netherlands from March 12 to April 15. Rodrigo was transferred to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) custody in The Hague, Netherlands on March 12.

With the latest approval, Paolo is now cleared to make a total of 17 stopovers: Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy and Singapore.

Paolo described the trip as a “personal” one, stating that he would use his own funds to cover expenses. His travels now span from March 20 to May 10.

His sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, is also in the Netherlands, assisting their father in preparing his defense before the international tribunal, which has scheduled the confirmation of charges hearing for September 23.

Rodrigo is facing pre-trial proceedings at the ICC for crimes against humanity charges over two allegations: his “war on drugs,” which claimed thousands of lives, and his role in the Davao Death Squad's brutal crackdown on criminals when he was mayor.

The ICC has ordered the prosecution to disclose by April the evidence it intends to present at the next hearing. This includes non-documentary evidence, witness testimonies and statements.

The defense must also submit its observations on the prosecution's disclosures and indicate whether it plans to present evidence or call witnesses during the confirmation of charges hearing.

Paolo’s travel clearance, which is valid until May 10, ends just two days before election day. Both he and Rodrigo are running in the 2025 midterm polls — Paolo for reelection and Rodrigo for another term as mayor.

They are being challenged in the elections by the Nograles siblings: Rep. Migs Nograles (PBA Party-List) and former Civil Service Commission Chair Karlo Nograles.

Meanwhile, recently impeached Sara is set to stand trial before the Senate in July, unless the Supreme Court grants petitions seeking to nullify the impeachment or halt the proceedings.

She was impeached over allegations of confidential fund misuse, unexplained wealth and her link to her father’s drug war and Davao Death Squad.

Paolo faces similar accusations from former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, particularly over drug smuggling complaints linked to a 2017 case in which the Bureau of Customs released P6.4 billion worth of crystal meth (shabu). He was Davao City’s vice mayor then.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly counted Hong Kong as a country. It is a special administrative region of China. This has been corrected. We apologize for the oversight.