Sen. Erwin Tulfo on Monday said he was surprised that the three representatives of the minority bloc in the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) voted in favor of unseating him based on a complaint that was found baseless.
In an interview, Tulfo said he was not aware that the three minority senators would want him out of the Senate since he knows he is on good terms with two of them.
He did not identify the senators directly, but the SET is composed of three Supreme Court justices (Marvic Leonen, Ramon Paul Hernando, and Henri Inting), three senators from the majority bloc (Francis Pangilinan, Manuel “Lito” Lapid, and Paolo Benigno Aquino), and three from the Senate minority (Pia Cayetano, Camille Villar, and Robin Padilla).
With a 6-3 vote, the SET last Friday denied the motion for reconsideration with an amended petition for quo warranto filed by Bertine Causing against Tulfo. The three minority senators were reported to have voted in favor of the motion for reconsideration.
The SET said it denied the petition because it was filed beyond the period prescribed by the 2020 SET Rules and failed to comply with the filing and service requirements of those same rules.
The original petition sought to unseat Tulfo due to alleged disloyalty to the Philippines and allegiance to the USA, ineligibility over claims he is a US citizen, belonging to a political dynasty, and a lack of academic qualification.
“The Tribunal further found that the Amended Petition itself remained insufficient in form. This ruling was made pursuant to a 6-3 vote, with 6 in favor and 3 against,” the SET decision said.
Tulfo explained that while he is not on speaking terms with one of the three minority senators, he maintains good relations with the other two.
“Yung isa po talagang normal na talagang hindi naman kami nagbabatian ng isang senadora. Pero yung dalawa po, lalo na po yung isa, nag uusap po kami, lalo pa’t kasama ko po sa Congress (House of Representatives). Tapos yung isa naman po, halos magkamag-anak po kami, nagbabatian, ‘insan’ ang tawagan namin,” he said.
“I don’t expect pero karapatan naman po nila yun eh. So, hindi naman pwedeng pigilan. That’s their right. Kung tingin nila at ayaw nila sa atin dito sa Senado, bumoto sila. Pero yung anim naniniwala na mali po in the first place yung reklamo, medyo may problema na agad,” Tulfo also said.
Tulfo previously shared a caricature online depicting him being stabbed in the back by figures tagged as Sen. Padilla, Sen. Villar, and Sen. Pia.
He clarified that he saw the artwork on a social media platform and requested permission from the original uploader before posting it on his Facebook page.
“Nagpaa-alam po ako doon sa nag post. Sabi ko baka pwede magamit. So, masama po ang loob natin. Nakikita naman niyo siguro na nagyayakapan, nagka kausap, at nagkakamayan, then suddenly…Medyo malungkot lang naman…Kung yun ang pananaw nila, then so be it. Ipagpas-Diyos na lamang natin,” he also said.