Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, like any senator, does not need his approval or a travel authority for personal trips abroad.
Sotto clarified that this follows Senate Policy Order No. 2016-003, which requires approval only for official business travel, while personal trips at a senator’s own expense do not require notification.
He noted that any directives from the Ombudsman regarding Estrada’s travel should be addressed to the Sandiganbayan, which handles Estrada’s legal matters, not the Senate President.
Estrada, previously acquitted of plunder but convicted of bribery in the pork barrel scam, has no pending official travel requests with Sotto’s office.
Estrada is also implicated in alleged kickback schemes in infrastructure projects, which he has denied.
Source: PhilNews24 | December 7, 2025
SOTTO SAYS JINGGOY DOESN’T NEED HIS APPROVAL FOR PERSONAL TRAVEL
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