Negros Oriental 3rd district Rep. Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr. has sought an extention to his expired travel clearance from the House of Representatives, but it isn't a valid request, as it is.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco confirmed Teves' request on Friday, March 10, even as he said that it wasn't actionable.
This is because the request to extend the travel clearance, also known as a travel authority (TA), lacked several key details.
"May request siya (Teves) na hanggang April 9, pero hindi valid yung request until you will specify the country (He has a request to extend until April 9, but it's not a valid request until you will specify the country ," Velasco said.
"Sinabi namin...yung House rules na kailangan naka-specify yung country and then the specific date in that country (We mentioned...the House rules, which said that the country you are going to and the dates you are in the country must be specified)," added the House official.
Teves, who is being tagged in the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo last March 4, is currently out of the country.
Earlier, Velasco granted Teves a TA for a "personal foreign trip" to the United States (US) covering the dates Feb. 28 to March 9. The Visayas congressman reportedly sought stem cell treatment there.
Velasco has said that keeping track of solons' travels out of the country is purely a "ministerial task".