Tulfo, Born Twice in Two Places?

By Herbert Vego

IS it possible for a person to be born in two places at different times?

This seems to be the subliminal message behind the latest controversy hounding Rep. Erwin Tulfo (ACT-CIS party-list), who is running for senator in the May 12, 2025 election.

Based on information running on the streamline and online media, if it were possible, he is “one in two persons.” The familiar Erwin Tulfo, according to his birth certificate filed in the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) office, was born on August 10, 1963 in Tacloban City.

Purportedly the same person, using the name Erich Sylvester Tulfo, was born in the US state of Hawaii two years later on December 30, 1965 – therefore an American citizen, based on alleged information provided by the United States Embassy in Manila.

One recalls that he had served as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in 2022, but was forced to quit sometime in 2023 after the Commission on Appointments had bypassed his appointment based on reports that he had served the US Army from 1988 to 1992.

Nevertheless, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) approved his certificate of candidacy to run for senator in the forthcoming May 12 election under the administration’s coalition party, Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas.

On his radio program “Punto Asintado” on Radyo Pilipinas last Monday, Tulfo avoided commenting on his alleged fraudulent US citizenship in the name of Erich Sylvester Tulfo. All that he vaguely said was that he had gone to the US as an undocumented overseas Filipino worker (OFW).

“Kung may pera ho ako.“ he said, “I wouldn’t have gone, I wouldn’t have left.”

But that is an obvious lie. He and his siblings – Ramon, Raffy, Ben and Wanda – have never been poor.  Their late father, Ramon Sr., was a colonel in the defunct Philippine Constabulary.

The puzzle behind the name Erich Sylvester Tulfo remains unsolved.

-oOo-

AN EXCITING FIGHT IN CAPIZ

WHILE having coffee at Hotel del Rio, we media people agreed among ourselves that politics is no longer colorful here in Iloilo.  It’s because Governor Art Defensor Jr. and Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas are running for re-election almost unopposed, except by “token” rivals.

Therefore, we talked about Capiz politics instead, where the son of former Senator Mar Roxas, Paolo, is throwing his hat for the first time, intending to replace the outgoing congressman, Emmanuel Billones.

Being a son of a former senator and a great grandson of the late President Manuel Roxas, Paolo is already likened to a tough “pader” that is hard to demolish.

But he is not without another handsome young man as a rival candidate.  Though a neophyte, this guy is already well-known as an indefatigable congressman representing the party-list Pinuno.  He is Howard Guinto, whose family has been in the housing and real estate business.

His battle cry is to provide livelihood opportunities and affordable housing for Capiznons.

So, if Roxas is “pader,” who is the “bulldozer” who could demolish him?

-oOo-

MORE POWER ALMOST FIVE YEARS

IN February this year, MORE Electric and Power Corporation will complete its fifth year of service as the distribution utility in Iloilo City.  As promised by its President, Roel Z. Castro, it would have wrapped up its modernization program by the end of that month.

The way I see it, the goal has been achieved with the ongoing rehabilitation and upgrading of the Jaro substation. The other substations have already undergone that.

To recall, MORE Power won the bidding to operate a 25-year distribution franchise in Iloilo City, edging out its predecessor, Panay Electric Company. Under Republic Act 11212 signed by then President Rodrigo Duterte on February 14, 2019, MORE Power is obliged to establish, operate and maintain, for commercial purposes and in the public interest, a distribution system in Iloilo City.

A year later in 2020, MORE Power took over with 62,000 customers that has expanded to more than 100,000 today.