The problem that Erwin Tulfo faces right now is of his own making and not one fabricated by his detractors and his admission in his own program on Jan. 6, 2025 only proved that he used false pretenses to stay in the United States, even as he argued pathetically that he had to employ his “diskarte” doe the survival of his family.
As a senatorial aspirant under the Marcos Jr. slate and as a House Deputy Majority Leader and ACT CIS representative, Erwin Tulfo tried vainly to employ the “paawa” argument and put some nobility of purpose why he resorted to being “tago nang tago” (TNT) in the US. He did not explain why he had to be a TNT. Where he worked, he did not disclose. The fact is, Erwin Tulfo secured US citizenship, which destroys his claim that he is TNT. Next, he allegedly used the name “Erwin Sylvester Tulfo” in his fraudulent birth certificate to gain citizenship. If these allegations weren’t true, why has he kept silent on them? Fraud is fraud and no country in the world would condone any person who falsifies his identity and gains citizenship using fake documents.
In November 2022, the Commission on Appointments (CA) bypassed him as secretary of the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD), with legislators also zeroing in on his conviction for libel, a crime that one congressman said involves “moral turpitude” while others noted his having sired 10 children with four women. He was also found to have enlisted with the US Army in 1988 and served until 1996, which indicated that he could not have been a TNT during those years, as army regulations require soldiers to be US citizens by birth or naturalization or are lawful residents. A TNT is an undocumented alien in the US. These belie Erwin’s claim that he worked his ass off in the US, putting in as many as 16 hours of work to keep Kith and kin together. After the CA hearing, Tulfo admitted he became an American citizen sometime in the late 1980s but already renounced it in 2022 and is now a Filipino citizen. “I renounced it to be a Filipino citizen.. this year… I know that they’ll be asking it. I come prepared… I’m sure they will be deliberating it. I submitted all the documents,” Tulfo said.
Curiously, the CA bypass came a month after the US Embassy revoked Erwin’s US passport, citing in its Oct. 11, 2022 letter that “Erick Sylvester Tulfo” had acquired US citizenship and passport documentation fraudulently. This should not be taken lightly since it also belies Erwin’s claim that he had renounced his US citizenship and thus “reacquired” Philippine citizenship. The Embassy’s demand for him to hand over his US passport is not exactly equivalent to the renunciation of his American citizenship. The US action is tantamount to stripping him of his citizenship. By claiming that he renounced US citizenship, he may merely be admitting that he had handed over his US passport to the Embassy since possessing it is a violation of federal law.
The letter was sent to Tulfo after an exhaustive investigation that confirmed shattered his identity and application history. “Erick Sylvester Tulfo” initially applied for a US passport in 1991, under passport number 700090711. Subsequent renewals followed, resulting in the issuance of passport number 566701788 on August 6, 2021. The Embassy eventually confirmed that “Erwin Sylvester Tulfo” is actually Erwin Teshiba Tulfo, born on August 10, 1963, in Tacloban City, Leyte. “Erwin Sylvester Tulfo” obtained a fraudulent US birth certificate by falsely claiming he was born in Hawaii on Dec. 30, 1965. Tacloban City is thousands of miles removed from the US mainland, where Erwin Tulfo stayed after he was accosted by airport security at the Manila International Airport in the 1980s for possessing US dollars destined for Bangkok.
In his visa application on Sept. 14, 2022, “Erwin Sylvester Tulfo” admitted that his actual birthplace was Tacloban City, bolstering the charge of material misrepresentation. The Embassy revoked Tulfo’s passport pursuant to 22 C.F.R. § 51.62(a)(2), which allows for revocation when passports are obtained illegally, fraudulently, or erroneously. All US passports issued under Tulfo’s name have been invalidated and he has been directed to surrender them immediately. This episode came barely two months before the CA bypassed him on account of questions surrounding his US citizenship. He admitted to being a US citizen but argued that he had renounced it. No one witnessed his renunciation, unlike one Metro Manila candidate who simply took out his US passport in one press briefing, ripped it apart and swore he would no longer owe allegiance to Uncle Sam. Questions about the politician’s citizenship withered away.
Based on the uncontroverted US Embassy letter and Erwin Tulfo’s admissions, it behooves the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to look deeply into his fraudulent acquisition of US citizenship and its enjoyment for two decades, along with his spurious material claims to secure US visas. By claiming he renounced his US citizenship to hold a Cabinet portfolio, he must also prove that he reacquired his Philippine citizenship and is thus qualified to run for a Senate seat in May 2025. Comelec would abjure its constitutional and ministerial duties if it failed to deliberate on the Tulfo’s disqualifications, including his libel conviction. If Erwin Tulfo cannot be truthful about his birth certificate, his visa application and his citizenship, how can the Filipino electorate trust him to craft laws that hew closely to the provisions of the 1986 Constitution that promote the rights and welfare of the Filipino people?
The Tulfos can raise to high heavens their assertion that they have served the people through their gonzo journalism and that they will never be a political dynasty despite the fact that they are a political dynasty, but these wouldn’t square with the reality that Erwin had cut corners, had violated US federal laws and employed subterfuge to stay in the US. Now, he basks in the glory of leading the surveys in the race for Senate seats and did not sign the impeachment complaint against Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio because it would compromise his role as a senator-juror in the coming impeachment trial. Such chutzpah is of no moment now. Violating the US for a solid two decades was his internship for the Philippine Senate? Voters, beware! It is time for the people not to allow themselves to be taken in by appearances or the illusion that the Tulfos are motivated by the desire to serve the public good by bringing their dynasty to the two houses of Congress. It sucks. (DIEGO MORRA)
