By Brian Campued
Malacañang will not reject any request for travel authority to be submitted by Vice President Sara Duterte, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro clarified Thursday.
This as the Vice President, in a statement, said that she had cancelled her personal trip abroad due to “last-minute” issuance of her travel authority, calling on the Office of the President “to ensure that the necessary documents be processed and issued promptly.”
Malacañang on Wednesday confirmed that Duterte was permitted to travel to the Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from April 23 to May 15, 2026.
While Duterte supposedly applied for travel authority to five countries on April 14, Castro clarified that travel requests from government officials were normally processed for at least five working days and approved a day before their intended departure.
“So, hindi naman po siya tinanggihan, wala pa sa record na kapag siya’y nag-request ng pagbabakasyon or personal trip na mahabang araw o mahaba na panahon na siya ay tinanggihan,” she said.
“So, para sabihin na last minute resolution o decision ito, hindi po ganon dahil… normally nangyayari po ang pagbibigay sa kaniya ng travel authority a day before.”
Castro assured that Duterte remains free to travel unless she is subjected to a precautionary hold departure order.
When asked for a response on the Vice President’s appeal for “confidentiality and proper handling of sensitive documents” for security purposes, Castro emphasized that Duterte, as a public servant, should explain matters related to her travel.
“Sa gitna na krisis sa Middle East, sa gitna ng mga bilyones na isyu na nakapaloob ngayon sa Bise Presidente at sa kaniyang asawa. Kung kayo ang tatanungin, kung kayo ang Bise Presidente, nararapat ba na magbakasyon? Kung iyan po ang nais niya na magbakasyon at mag-world tour, ibigay ang hiling,” Castro said.
The Vice President was a no-show on the third day of the impeachment proceedings of the House Committee on Justice on Wednesday.
During the hearing, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) revealed that bank accounts tied to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, had been repeatedly flagged for suspicious and covered transactions from 2006 to 2025 worth a total of P6.77 billion.
Castro, however, declined to comment on the AMLC’s report, saying it is up to the Vice President to explain the issue.
“Mas maganda pong malaman natin kung ano ba ang reaksiyon ng Bise Presidente dahil nabunyag itong bilyon-bilyong transaksiyon na nakita sa kaniyang mga bank accounts,” she stressed.
“Sabi niya, isinusulong niya ang accountability and transparency, siya po ang dapat na makaalam kung ano ang dapat niyang gawin, kung paano niya ito ipapaliwanag sa taumbayan,” Castro said. (with report from Kenneth Paciente / PTV News)
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