Malacañang has approved Vice President Sara Duterte's rescheduled foreign travel from May 2 to 15, covering the Netherlands, South Korea, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom. This follows her earlier April approval for a similar itinerary starting April 23, which she postponed amid uncertainty, and comes days after the House justice committee found probable cause on her impeachment.
Palace press officer Claire Castro confirmed that the Office of the President permitted Duterte's trip from May 2-15, originally planned from April 23 to May 15 "while on leave of absence at no cost to the government."
An initial approval was issued on April 22 by Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, but Duterte, now a critic of President Marcos, held off due to departure uncertainties. She filed an urgent amendment to shift the start to May 2 while retaining the destinations.
The rescheduling means she may be absent during a potential May 11 House plenary vote on her impeachment complaint. This confirmation follows the justice committee's probable cause finding, advancing the complaints—alleging a plot to assassinate Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos, and former speaker Martin Romualdez, plus misuse of confidential funds—to the plenary and possible Senate trial. Duterte denies the charges.
