MANILA, Philippines (Updated 2:55 p.m.) — Television and radio anchor Raffy Tulfo on Saturday filed his certificate of candidacy for senator in the May 2022 elections.
He will be running as an independent candidate.
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His name was included in the initial list of senatorial bets supported by President Rodrigo Duterte. Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a presidential aspirant, also said he was in talks with the media personality.
Tulfo, who has 21.7 million subscribers on YouTube and 18 million followers on Facebook, is confident that his supporters will help him secure a seat in the upper chamber. He topped Pulse Asia’s latest survey of Filipinos’ preferred senatorial bets, with 55.2% of respondents saying they will vote for him.
Tulfo said he would focus on issues related to labor and overseas Filipino workers.
"Ang mga kapos palad na kababayan kailangan ng mas sapat na proteksyon sa ating batas. ‘Yan po ang isang dahilan kung bakit ako nandito ngayon sa harap niyo," he said.
(Our less fortunate countrymen need adequate protection under the law. That’s the reason why I’m here in front of you.)
Tulfo is known for allowing people to air their complaints and for giving them a chance to have their cases and issues brought to the attention of government agencies. But Tulfo's brand of "justice" has been criticized for violating due process and for disregarding the proper forums for complaints.
In 2019, he was criticized for publicly shaming a teacher and pressuring her to give up her license. The Commission of Human Rights then reminded media personalities to complement the rule of law, and not take the law into their own hands.
Kapa ministry founder
Earlier, Joel Apolinario, the detained founder of Kapa Community Ministry, filed his COC through his representatives. The ministry is accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission of running an investment scam.
In 2019, Duterte ordered Kapa's operations stopped. The Court of Appeals also ordered Kapa's assets frozen, leaving many of investors, who had been promised large returns on their "donations", wondering how to get their money back.
Apolinario said he wants to provide jobs, enhance the educational and health systems, and offer livelihood programs. — Gaea Katreena Cabico