Nothing to decide upon if there is no case vs Erwin Tulfo – Comelec

George Garcia FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) could not decide on its own when it comes to the eligibility of ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo to run for senator.

Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia made the response Tuesday when asked to react as to whether the citizenship issues hurled against Tulfo would affect his eligibility for Senate race.

“All of that are accusations and allegations,” Garcia said in a press conference in Palacio del Gobernador.

“If there is no formal case, the Comelec has nothing to resolve,” he also said in Filipino, stressing that the poll body could only act  on its own (motu propio) only when it comes to nuisance candidate cases.

Garcia reiterated that the Supreme Court ruled that the Comelec’s role is “ministerial” when it comes to accepting certificate of candidacies (COC) and only when a registered voter files a petition against a certain aspirant could the poll body act on it.

The Comelec chief this means that “even if a personality might have an issue, we would have to accept their certificate of candidacy.”

In November 2022, discussions on Tulfo’s appointment as Department of Social Welfare and Development secretary were deferred by the Commission on Appointments (CA) due to legal issues over his citizenship.

After the CA hearing, Tulfo admitted he became an American citizen in 1988, but he stressed that he regained his Filipino citizenship in 2022 as part of the requirements for his appointment as a public official.

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Tulfo believes the rumors came out only because he was ranking high in the surveys for the 2025 senatorial race.

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Both Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations surveys said Tulfo was the top senatorial choice among their respondents.