MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Raffy Tulfo, known for his tough crackdown on EDSA bus lane violators, found himself in an awkward position when his own son was caught plying the roadway.
Tulfo confirmed that his son, Rep. Ralph Wendel Tulfo (Quezon City, Second District) was caught illegally traversing the EDSA Busway.
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The elder Tulfo said that his son had apologized to him.
“Kinausap ko si Ralph tungkol sa insidente at walang paligoy-ligoy pa at inadmit niya at katakot-takot na nag-sorry siya sa akin, sabi ko wag mo na ulitin and sabi ko sa kanya, kailangan mag apologize ka sa taumbayan,” Raffy said in a video statement to media.
(I spoke to Ralph about the incident and there is no dilly-dally, he admitted that he seriously apologized, I said not to repeat it and I told him he needs to apologize to the public.)
Raffy said that the ticket has been paid and his driver has attended a seminar.
“The good thing is he did not lie and he apologized and he was humble,” Tulfo said in Filipino.
Raffy is the Chair of the Senate Committee on Public Services, leading to a colorful history of him lambasting government officials and other drivers who allegedly use the national highway’s bus lane.
The senator had even sought to increase the fine for private vehicles using the busway from P5,000 to P50,000.
Under the Department of Transportation’s rules, only select vehicles can travel the lane, including buses with proper authorization and emergency service vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks, and police vehicles.
Meanwhile, only the following government officials can use the busway:
- President
- Vice President
- Senate President
- Speaker of the House of Representatives
- Supreme Court Chief Justice