Commission on Appointments defers appointment of Tulfo as social welfare secretary
A Commission on Appointments committee on Tuesday deferred the confirmation of Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo.
During the hearing, Caloocan Rep.Oscar Malapitan asked Tulfo if he renounced his Filipino citizenship when he was with the US Army.
Tulfo then requested to respond during an executive session, which the CA granted.
Before holding the executive session, SAGIP Partylist Rep. Rodante Marcoleta followed up on Malapitan’s question and asked what the status of his citizenship was when he was serving in the US Army while being stationed in Europe from 1992 to 1996.
“Correct me if I’m wrong but to be an enlisted personnel in the US Army, either you are a citizen by birth. Meaning to say, were you a citizen? Or you have acquired US citizenship via naturalization? Or that you are a lawful permanent resident? ” Marcoleta said.
One News PH reported that Tulfo said he had US citizenship from 1988 until 2022. He said he renounced his US citizenship before his US citizenship when he was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos to the Cabinet.
Marcoleta then questioned Tulfo about his four libel convictions in the Pasay Regional Trial Court.
Tulfo admitted that he had four counts of libel filed by the same individual, but said it was related to his work as a journalist.
“I was a columnist and I wrote a story about the person. About a government official, actually. And I had my sources. And I was compelled by the court to divulge my sources but I did not. So it went up to the Court of Appeals, all the way up to the Supreme Court, Mr. Chair,” Tulfo said.
Marcoleta responded: “Because of your work, as a journalist, that does not change the situation. You can be convicted either way in any other vocation but the fact stands there is a conviction.”
“Libel is an offense that involves moral turpitude. And in some other cases disposed by the Supreme Court, there were certain people who were disqualified from holding positions because they have been convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude,” he added.
Marcoleta expressed his support for the confirmation of Tulfo’s appointment as the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare (DSWD), but said they had to resolve the dilemma of him having a case involving moral turpitude.
“Of course, I am in support of your confirmation as the secretary of DSWD. And I believe you have just succeeded in proving to our people that you are qualified but this is a problem that we have to thresh out, Mr. Chair. How do we dispose of this dilemma before us? Because it is in our report. I couldn’t have asked you this question, Mr. Secretary, if it did not appear in the report submitted to us by Commission on Appointments,” Marcoleta said.
The panel held an executive session, then Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte made a motion to defer the deliberation.
“Due to some concerns of the members as raised by Congressman (Rodante) Marcoleta and the motion of Senator Imee (Marcos) to get further documentation and opinions from experts, I move to defer our deliberation of the nominee, Secretary Erwin Tulfo,” Villafuerte said.
Meanwhile, the CA confirmed the ad interim appointment of Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
