Raffy Tulfo: A style all his own

Flirting with danger is, as everybody knows, the Brother Tulfos’ kind of game. But have you ever wondered who among the four – Mon, Ben Erwin and Raffy – is the most daring?

Mon Tulfo writes a hard-hitting column for Manila Bulletin and hosts the TV show Isumbong Mo Kay Tulfo on RPN 9. Ben writes a column for PM (Pang-Masa, The STAR’s sister publication) and hosts his own TV show Bitag on PTV 4. Erwin writes a column for Bulgar and co-hosts the newscast The Insider on ABS-CBN where he used to host another show called Mission X. Raffy, subject of today’s Funfare, writes a column for Abante Tonight and hosts his own TV show Kamao (NBN Channel 4, 6 to 7 p.m. Sundays)

So who’s the most daring of them all?

"I would say," said Raffy, apparently playing safe, "pare-pareho lang kami."

But it’s Mon, the eldest, who has the most number of court cases, followed by Raffy, mostly libel cases.

"Kuya Ben was recently charged with libel," said Raffy. "Erwin is lying low at the moment, upon the advice of ABS-CBN."

And who has the most number of death threats?

The answer is, "Equal lang kami, although recently I’ve been getting a lot of death threats because of my show Kamao which exposes anomalies and, with the help of duly-constituted authorities (the NBI and/or the police), have the owners/perpetrators arrested, if possible."

Among the brothers, Raffy is the late-bloomer, having started only in 1998, debuting as host on the ABC 5 show Task Force Siyasat and then NBN 4’s Problema N’yo Sagot Ko and then Kamao which was preceded by a just-as-hard-hitting radio program called Philippines’ Most Wanted.

These past seven years, Raffy has had his own share of unforgettable brushes with the lawless, including an encounter with a wealthy suspect who, according to Raffy, "could pay the judge (handling the case) any amount to sway decision in his favor."

Raffy came into the profession well-prepared, not only physically but also emotionally and psychologically.

He loves to recall his encounter with Black goons in Oakland, California, where he owned and managed his own grocery store.

"The goons broke into the store and announced a hold-up," said Raffy. "But before they could make a hit, I engaged them in a shootout. They ended up fleeing."

A few more such life-threatening incidents prompted Raffy to close his store and return to the Philippines.

"If I have to fight goons," he said, "I might as well do it on the home front."

Back home, Raffy started picking up the pieces, so to speak, by selling insurance policies.

"Then, I was intrigued by what Kuya Mon was doing – helping other people. I thought, ‘Magandang gawain. Maraming natutulungang tao.’

In fact, it was Kuya Mon who told me, ‘You will die a senseless death fighting those Blacks in America, so you better come home. If you do it at home, you might even end up a hero.’ What Kuya Mon told me kept ringing in my mind as I watched and observed him fight criminals."

Isn’t there any conflict among the four of them? No professional and/or sibling rivalry?

"None so far, although I should say that my nearest rival, if any, is Kuya Ben. Like my style, Kuya Ben’s is also investigative. Among us brothers, it’s Kuya Ben who’s closest to me. We call each other regularly, compare notes and exchange ideas.

"But we generally differ in our manner of attack. As far as radio is concerned, I think I’m the hardest-hitting; ako ang pinaka-matindi. Ang KBP (Kapisanan ng Mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas)," he joked, "namo-mroblema na yata sa akin, eh! It’s because of my radio program (called Wanted sa Radyo, 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday on RMN DZXL) that I get a lot of death threats."

Do the Tulfo brothers observe the "One for all, all for one" policy?

Do the three others come to the rescue when one of them is in immediate danger?

"Yes, we do, but only when the brother is in real danger and he can’t cope by himself...Only when he asks for his brothers’ help. Otherwise, we leave each other alone."

Because of the inherent danger(s) on the job, the Tulfos take precautionary measures. They have licensed guns – Raffy with two small guns and one semi-automatic – and a couple of bodyguards assigned to him by his office (RW Productions, the TV company). And, no, they don’t take the same route to office and back home every day, the better to "mislead" the enemy.

Neither do they take chances with their families.

In Raffy’s case, he avoids being photographed (for publication) with his wife and children whom he refuses to identify for security reasons. He has two, one aged 11 and the other two years old.

"I train them," said Raffy, the concerned father. "I teach them how to act and what to do during unexpected incidents or emergencies. Such as if we are in a restaurant and there’s an ambush, I tell them what to do. If somebody fires at our car, they should know what to do. They know how to protect themselves; they are properly-trained. Better to start them young."

Imelda the musical

A lot of Funfare readers have been asking about the musical Imelda (inspired by the colorful life of former First Lady Imelda Marcos) which is being staged in Los Angeles. An L.A. resident sent to Funfare the following review entitled Mabuhay! Imelda – A New Musical by Vidal Aguas, published in City of Angels. Funfare readers can get a glimpse of what Imelda is all about.

A musical history of the Philippines took centerstage last night, here in Los Angeles with the world premiere of Imelda. The show began with the interpretation of the legendary Malakas at Maganda, the origin of the Filipino man and woman from the splitting of the oriental bamboo tree. Folkloric ballerinas were joined by flamenco dancers depicting the conquest of Spain. A mime of birds in flight represented a country that is free.

This was followed by the raising of a translucent screen that earlier projected a steel butterfly, and introduced a larger than life Imelda, standing tall like the higantes, in a traditional butterfly sleeve terno and her parasol. She sang Forever Part of You, an adaptation of her favorite Philippine love song Dahil Sa Iyo.

The first act was lively and witty. Performers with shoes on a silver platter were dancing, coming in and out of Imelda’s shoe boutique while singing 3,000 Pairs of Shoes. First pair, second pair, one hundred pairs, Gucci, Feragamos, silk, beaded and gold!

The dialogues of Imelda and Ninoy evoked their love- and- hate relationship, two different ambitions — Imelda for fame and Ninoy for love of country. Imelda’s goal was achieved by meeting Ferdinand at the Senate’s cafeteria and accepting him in marriage. He becomes her Professor Higgins in a delightful number where Imelda trains in political savvy. If Eliza Doolittle practiced pronunciation and enunciation, Imelda learned to handshake and call people by their names — Manglapuz, Tolentino and Lopez.

The wisdom of Ferdinand and the grace of Imelda were the hope of a nation devastated by natural calamities, plagued with corruption and the insurgence of communism. Ferdinand becomes the president and Like God in a song. Eventually, he declares Martial Law with a Smile.

According to Imelda, when the going gets tough, the tough goes shopping — to New York! This was a fabulous scene, where she becomes Imeldific, ostentatious, extravagant to the point of vulgarity. She shops for shoes, more shoes and more shoes.

Giovanni Ortega’s portrayal of Ferdinand was outstanding, bringing out on stage the qualities of a hero and a national leader. Lisa Del Mundo was prolific in the development of Imelda from a Hollywood star dreamer to an infamous world-class shopper. The cast speaking in accent with a mixture of Taglish brings out the uniqueness of the Philippine language, a blend of the East and West.

Music, lyrics and choreography turn the story into a creative, lively and enchanting evening.

Get ready Broadway; Imelda will come back to the city she loves.

Mabuhay to East West Players and thank you for bringing the history of my country to centerstage!

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