For Erwin Tulfo, it’s not the poll ranking, but the Senate performance

Senatorial candidate and ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo said on Friday that he sees nothing wrong with a law to ban political dynasties even as he and his immediate relatives are running for elective posts. — File photo

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo said he does not care if he ranks at the top of the senatorial race for the 2025 midterm elections. For him, it’s the performance in the legislative chamber that is most important.

In an ambush interview on Wednesday while on the sidelines of a local rally at the Bren Guiao Convention Center here, Tulfo said that he does not want people to say later that their votes were wasted on him.

The House of Representatives lawmaker said this after being asked about being ranked between first and third spots in recent surveys from Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS).

“I’m happy where I am right now. I thank the Filipino people because, from nowhere, actually for several months, we were number one.  But it doesn’t matter anymore, eh, why do we have to gun for the top one, what’s important is how you will perform at the Senate,” Tulfo told reporters in both English and Filipino.

“It will be embarrassing if we are the top one senator, but you cannot perform well.  People might say that their vote was wasted on you, I don’t want that to happen, so I will just show them that the people who voted for me will not regret choosing me,” he added.

Tulfo, during the surveys late 2024, was the consistent topnotcher in the surveys, which have been dominated by his colleagues at the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate.

READ: Rep. Tulfo, 9 others from admin slate in Senate ‘Magic 12’ – Pulse Asia

But recently, Tulfo dropped to second, behind PDP-Laban stalwart, incumbent Senator Bong Go.

READ: SWS: Go, 9 Alyansa Senate bets top poll

READ: Reelectionist Bong Go leads Pulse Asia survey on senatorial bets

According to Tulfo, the rankings do not matter to him anymore, as his goal is to just enter the Magic 12 and initiate the changes that people need.

“But it doesn’t matter anymore, one, two, three, as long as you enter the winner’s circle and do what you have to do at the Senate, craft laws.  We moved around the Philippines and I heard what the people were saying,” Tulfo said.

“They want to address the problem in our food suppy problem regarding health, what PhilHealth has done is not enough, we need PhilHealth to shoulder more, and then in education we still lack classrooms, and then we will address corruption issues.  So that is what the people are waiting for, and we will — not only we will, but we must deliver because that is what the people want,” he added.

While there is no difference between a senator elected at the top and the bottom of the Magic 12, people expect much from senatorial bets with the most votes.

In the 2022 national elections, Senator Robinhood Padilla — who was the topnotcher during that time — was expected to perform well.  During that time,  Padilla said he wanted to lead no less than the Senate committee on constitutional amendments in order to restart the processes to overhaul the 1987 Constitution.

Padilla said he believes his massive victory means that people believed in his “platform” for “constitutional reform.”

READ: Robin Padilla eyes lead role in reviving Charter change

But just after a few months, Padilla got criticized by different people.  Former Senate President Franklin Drilon, while not referring to Padilla, urged Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri who was Senate president during that time to show displeasure at a seeming “lack of decorum” during Senate sessions and committee hearings.

According to Drilon, he heard noises while proceedings were in progress.

Padilla said he did not feel alluded to, adding that neophyte senators were doing their jobs well.

READ: Padilla doesn’t feel allluded to by Drilon’s ‘lack of decorum’ comment

Then in August 2024, Padilla apologized to people who were offended by his remarks on consensual sex between couples during a Senate hearing, after he asked what would happen if a man is in the mood for sex but the wife refuses.