Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said on Wednesday that while it is Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte’s right to seek clearance to travel overseas, he must make himself available anytime he is summoned by the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) and the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with their investigations into infrastructure and flood control projects within his jurisdiction.

Ridon said the same applies to all congressmen engineering teams—composed of personnel from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and Philippine National Police (PNP)—have flagged for “ghost” or non-existent and substandard projects, reported RH 12 Milky Rigonan.

Duterte and other “cong-tractor’s” (congressmen who own construction companies awarded with government projects) cooperation is key in obtaining information on the planning and implementation of the projects, Ridon said.

As chairperson of the House Infrastructure Committee (InfraComm), Ridon believes that the fictitious and faulty flood projects would not have been sanctioned absent the participation of lawmakers, alongside DPWH officials, and contractors.

Duterte earlier requested travel clearance to fly to 17 countries from December 15 to February 20, 2026.