ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio questioned the 16-country trip that Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte would want to take, as stated in a travel authority request submitted to the House leadership, asking if he was a Miss Universe on tour?
In an ambush interview on Wednesday, Tinio said that people expect lawmakers to be present during committee hearings and plenary sessions to represent the voice and interests of his district – and not abroad.
‘Well, what is he? A district representative or Miss Universe? The job of a congressman is to represent his district. The people should expect a higher standard of service from their elected representatives,’ Tinio said in a mix of Filipino and English.
Three points raised
‘The most basic thing, of course, is to be present in Congress so that you can bring the interests of your constituents, whether in the committee hearings or at the plenary. So that is my first point,’ he added.
According to Tinio, a lawmaker cannot claim to have participated in the House’s activities if he only watches livestreams of hearings and plenary sessions.
The Makabayan solon also questioned the timing of Duterte’s travel authority request, as it came days after he refused to appear before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).
‘The second point: The timing of this request is dubious because it happened days after he was invited by the ICI to answer some questions regarding public infrastructure projects in the first district of Davao. So up to now they are not answering this in whatever available forum,’ he said.
‘And the third point: I read the news reports. He said he would attend sessions, whether at the committee or plenary, virtually. Well, if he really read the rules, the House leadership has to set when the virtual sessions take place, which means there is a formal process,’ Tinio added.
Dubious timing
Aside from Tinio, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon also expressed concern about Duterte’s travel, saying that while it was within the Davao solon’s right, he should make himself available to bodies doing an investigation on anomalous flood control projects.
Last November, Tinio and Ridon made separate revelations regarding alleged incomplete and ghost projects in Davao City, particularly in Duterte’s district.
‘While Rep. Paolo Duterte has the right to request travel clearances for foreign trips exceeding two months, he should make himself available to investigative bodies such as the Office of the Ombudsman for any proceedings on infrastructure and flood-control projects in his district,’ Ridon said.
On Tuesday, Duterte’s office confirmed the veracity of a letter addressed to House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III, but insisted that it was supposedly a confidential document that was leaked by a House office to the media.
In the letter to Dy, Duterte said he will have an upcoming travel to the following countries:
Hong Kong and China
Malaysia
Indonesia
South Korea
Japan
Vietnam
Cambodia
United States
Australia
United Kingdom
the Netherlands
Germany
France
Belgium
Italy
Singapore
‘This is to request for a Travel Clearance for my upcoming travel to Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, United States, Australia, United Kingdom. the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, and Singapore from the 15th of December 2025 to 20th of February, 2026,’ Duterte said in his letter.
‘Rest assured that the expenses that will be incurred from this trip are from my personal funds alone. In addition, this is also to seek your kind indulgence in allowing this Representation to attend the scheduled plenary sessions and meetings virtually from the aforementioned dates. It is with esteemed appreciation if this will merit your preferential action and approval,’ he added.
Previous trips
This is not the first time that Duterte has requested a travel authority to the said countries. In March 2025, the House leadership approved the lawmaker’s request to travel to the same set of countries, plus Northern Ireland.
It is unclear why Duterte will travel to several countries, but his previous multi-country trip was made after his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested and taken into custody by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is based in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Last March 11, the older Duterte was stopped from leaving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, as local authorities assisted the International Criminal Police Organization in enforcing the arrest order from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The arrest order was issued due to the crimes against humanity case filed against Duterte for his role in his administration’s drug war. /atm