One of senatorial race frontrunners Erwin Tulfo. Inquirer photo/Niño Jesus Orbeta.
MANILA, Philippines — ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo, one of the frontrunners in the senatorial race, expressed support for proposed measures banning political dynasties and said he would even resign if such a law is enacted.
Aside from resigning, Tulfo said he would also convince his relatives to step down once an anti-political dynasty bill gets passed.
“I will be supporting [it]. Someone already planned to file it. It will only be repetitive if I lodge a similar measure. If need be, I will co-author, and if passed, I will resign,” the lawmaker disclosed in an interview with INQToday on Wednesday evening.
“And I would even convince my sister-in-law and my nephew. I’ll tell them: let’s resign. If they argue that others are practicing political dynasties, I’ll tell them not to copy those people. More families are probably more charitable than us and braver than us. Let’s give them a chance,” he added in Filipino.
Last February, Tulfo and former Sen. Panfilo Lacson lamented the absence of an anti-political dynasty law and blamed Congress for not actively acting on a measure, which aims to address the matter.
Lacson said he would refile the measure, while Tulfo at that time was facing a disqualification case filed against him, his brother Ben, and three other members of the Tulfo clan on the grounds of political dynasty.
Despite this, Tulfo then said he would “definitely support” a measure barring political dynasties.
As of writing, Tulfo is in the fourth spot in the senatorial race with 16,815,945 votes based on the Commission on Elections’ partial and unofficial count.
His brother, Sen. Raffy Tulfo, currently serves in the upper chamber, heading the panels on migrant workers and public services. /MR