MANILA, Philippines – A lawyer named Virgilio R. Garcia has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to stop members of the Tulfo family from running in the upcoming elections. He believes they are breaking a rule in the Philippine Constitution that says one family shouldn’t have too much political power.
Who Are the Tulfos in This Case?
The petition names several members of the Tulfo family:
- Erwin Tulfo – Currently a party-list representative but now running for senator.
- Ben Tulfo – Also running for senator.
- Wanda Tulfo-Teo – Running as a party-list nominee for Turismo.
- Jocelyn Pua-Tulfo – A congresswoman seeking re-election.
- Ralph Wendel Tulfo – A congressman and son of Jocelyn.
All of them are related to Senator Raffy Tulfo, who is already in office. This means if they all win, seven members of the Tulfo family will hold government positions at the same time.
Why Does the Lawyer Want to Stop Them?
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Too Much Political Power in One Family
- The lawyer says that having too many family members in government is unfair.
- The 1987 Philippine Constitution (the country’s most important set of rules) does not allow political dynasties. A political dynasty happens when members of the same family keep taking powerful government positions.
- He believes this situation is exactly what the Constitution wants to prevent.
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Are They Really Natural-Born Filipinos?
- The lawyer also claims that some of the Tulfos might not be natural-born Filipinos, which is required to run for office.
- A natural-born Filipino is someone who was a Filipino citizen from birth and did not have to do anything special to become one.
- Some members of the Tulfo family lived in the United States for a long time and may have lost their natural-born Filipino status.
- The lawyer pointed out that Erwin Tulfo was stopped from becoming a government secretary before because of doubts about his citizenship. He was in the U.S. Army and even had a U.S. passport.
What Happens Next?
Now that the petition has been filed, Comelec will review the case and decide whether the Tulfos are allowed to run or not. If Comelec agrees with the lawyer, the Tulfo family members in the petition could be disqualified from the election.
This case is a big deal because it could change the rules about political dynasties in the Philippines. Many people are watching closely to see what Comelec decides.
