House grants Paolo Duterte’s trip to Netherlands after father’s arrest

Metro Manila, Philippines - The House of Representatives on Wednesday, March 12, granted Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte’s one-month travel clearance for a “personal trip” to the Netherlands where his father, ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, will stand trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco granted Duterte travel authority for his trip to the Netherlands and Japan from March 12 to April 15, 2025.

Duterte filed his request for a “revised travel clearance” on March 11, the day his father was arrested by local authorities for charges over drug war deaths before The Hague-based ICC.

“The expenditures incurred from this trip are from my personal funds alone,” Duterte said in his request.

Rep. Duterte’s sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, left Manila early Wednesday morning via a flight headed for Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

READ: VP Duterte flies to The Hague after father’s arrest

The Duterte patriarch was placed under custody at the Villamor Airbase on Tuesday, shortly after his arrival in the Philippines from an earlier unannounced trip to Hong Kong.

The former chief executive boarded a chartered jet on Tuesday night bound for The Hague. He is expected to arrive in the Netherlands late Wednesday afternoon.