Sara, Paolo off to Netherlands

Hours after their father was flown to The Hague to face the International Criminal Court (ICC), siblings Vice President Sara Duterte and Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte are Netherlands-bound to assist former president Rodrigo Duterte.

- NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS and DELON PORCALLA

The Vice President left Manila at 7:40 a.m. yesterday on an Emirates flight bound for Amsterdam, according to her office.

While the OVP did not say how long she would be overseas, it noted that her scheduled appearance at the Araw ng Dabaw festivities in Davao City on March 16 and 17 has been canceled.

She arrived at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on the night of March 11, less than two hours before the plane carrying her father took off.

Despite being barred entry, she said she was able to instruct her father about what to do and say to his lawyers.

Meanwhile, Congressman Duterte was granted travel clearance to visit his father, after writing to Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“This representation seeks the issuance of a revised travel clearance for my personal trip to the Netherlands and Japan from 12 March to 15 of April,” Duterte said in his letter dated March 11 to Romualdez, seen by reporters.

The Davao lawmaker assured Romualdez that the expenses to be incurred from the trip would be paid for by “personal funds alone.”

House secretary-general Reginald Velasco told reporters in a phone patch interview that they fully understood the lawmaker’s situation; hence clearance was granted, but only until April 15.

Rep. Jude Acidre of Tingog partylist, who heads the House committee on foreign workers affairs, said congressmen like them ask for a “travel clearance” from the Speaker if the trip is a personal one, while “travel authority” is sought for official business transactions.