Now ACT-CIS rep, Erwin Tulfo is fourth family member in Congress
MANILA, Philippines — Former Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo on Tuesday took his oath of office as a member of the House of Representatives, making him the fourth member of the family that rose to fame as broadcasters and columnists with a seat in Congress.
The Commission on Elections last week dismissed the disqualification case against him, saying it did not have jurisdiction over the complaint because it was filed beyond the deadline for Petitions for Disqualification.
The petition, which raised issues with his alleged US citizenship and a 2008 conviction for libel, nine months past the proclamation of Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) as among the winners of the 2022 party-list elections.
Under the 1987 Constitution, public officers must be natural-born citizen of the Philippines. The Omnibus Election Code, meanwhile, disqualifies those "convicted for a crime involving moral turpitude," but only for five years from service of the sentence.
Tulfo replaced former Rep. Jeffrey Soriano — the party-list's third nominee, who resigned in February. ACT-CIS topped the party-list race in the 2022 elections with more than 2.1 million votes, giving it three seats at the House.
Rep. Edvic Yap and Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo — who is married to Sen. Raffy Tulfo, Erwin's brother — hold the other two ACT-CIS seats.
Another Tulfo — Raffy's son Ralph — represents Quezon City's 2nd Legislative District at the House.
Rep. Erwin Tulfo was appointed secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in May 2022 but his appointment was not confirmed by the congressional Commission on Appointments over the issues raised in the disqualification case against him. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said last December that Tulfo only had to "give us documentary proof, a certification that he’s no longer an American citizen."
Tulfo said back then that he had documents related to his US citizenship from US immigration and from the embassy. — Cristina Chi with reports by The STAR / Robertson Ramirez
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