EXPLAINER: Why senators don’t need Senate clearance for personal trips
Two more senators have left the country amid the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and Senate deliberations on the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027.
On Thursday, September 10, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed that Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Senator Pia Cayetano had flown abroad, amid social media posts showing the senator-siblings allegedly arriving in Singapore on Wednesday evening, September 9.
A separate social media post also alleged that Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano, Alan’s wife, flew to Singapore early Thursday.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said he had yet to receive formal information about the Cayetano siblings’ departure but clarified that senators leaving the country for personal trips do not need to obtain travel clearance from the Senate.
“I have yet to receive formal information if they left or not. The photos we are seeing on social media may be old pictures. However, senators leaving for abroad for personal reasons may do so without seeking clearance or notifying the Senate leadership,” Gatchalian said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Senator Loren Legarda, who remains on extended medical leave, also flew out of the country in August without seeking travel clearance.
Travel authority
Unlike official foreign trips, personal trips by senators do not require prior approval from the Senate president under current Senate rules.
Senate Policy Order No. 2016-003, approved by then-Senate president Franklin Drilon in July 2016, amended the Senate rules on official local and foreign travel.
The policy order struck out the provision stating that “all personal travels abroad of officials and personnel of the Senate shall be subject also to the approval of the Senate President.”
The amended provision instead states that official foreign travel by Senate members, officials and employees covered by the policy shall be subject to the prior approval of the Senate president.
“It was a personal trip and we don’t know the reason for it. We have no policy they need to seek permission for personal trips,” Gatchalian said.
“They need travel clearance for official trips, especially if the Senate needs to cover some of their expenses such as hotels, tickets, and staff allowance. Senators and employees need travel clearance when traveling on official notice,” he said.
Recurring issue
The issue has cropped from time to time. In March 2025, the same question was raised when Senator Robin Padilla was seen with Vice President Sara Duterte in The Hague, the Netherlands, following the detention of former president Rodrigo Duterte over a crimes against humanity case in relation to his drug war.
In December 2025, then-Senate president Vicente Sotto III reiterated the amended Senate rule in response to reports that Ombudsman Boying Remulla wanted Sotto not to grant travel authority to Senator Jinggoy Estrada.
At the time, Estrada was among the respondents listed in recommendation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) before the Office of the Ombudsman for file plunder and other charges in relation to flood control projects corruption. – Rappler.com
