Second chance, too

Senator Imee Marcos echoed the profuse gratitude on the “second chance” given to their family via the victory of her brother in the May 9 presidential elections. As President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) is set to take over the helm of the government at noon of June 30, Sen. Marcos looks forward to the return to Malacanang Palace of the namesake son of their late father, deposed president Ferdinand Marcos.

“Yes we’re very, very grateful for a second chance as it were…,” Sen. Marcos frankly admitted as their family prepares a comeback at Malacanang after the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution. “And the truth is, sometimes, the second chance is better than the first time around…It’s a second chance for the Philippines,” Sen. Marcos reiterated.

Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of President Duterte, will join the incoming administration of PBBM. Thus, the Marcos-Duterte tandem earned the “second chance” for both families whose respective patriarchs became Presidents of the Philippines several decades apart.

The same “second chance” is echoed by high-profile broadcast journalist Erwin Tulfo after being named among the latest Cabinet appointees of PBBM. Closely associated with both President Duterte and PBBM, Tulfo got a well earned recognition for his staking his lot with Marcos-Duterte tandem. The 57-year old Tulfo was designated as the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) of the incoming Marcos administration. Prior to his appointment, Tulfo co-hosted a radio program with PBBM before the latter embarked on his presidential campaign.

Speaking in our Kapihan sa Manila Bay virtual news forum last Wednesday, Tulfo similarly asked to be given a “second chance” by those this early opposed to his DSWD appointment. He cited his own experience as a no nonsense field police reporter cum volunteer social worker as his best mentor for this new full-time job, 24-7 as DSWD Secretary.

His arch critics and cynics have gone viral with their social media posts assailing his credentials and qualifications. This is not to mention getting entangled in past controversies and family-related scandals, one of which was getting into crosshairs with his immediate predecessor at the DSWD.

As a tough-talking anchor of his own public service program, Tulfo berated in public retired Army chief Gen. Rolando Bautista whom President Duterte named to his Cabinet in 2019. Tulfo’s beef against Bautista then was not being able to pin down the newly appointed DSWD Secretary for interview in his radio program.

Citing he had already publicly apologized and both have tried to reach out to each other, Tulfo believes he won’t have a problem anymore when he meets personally with Bautista for the first time for their transition in office. Tulfo disclosed he and Bautista are scheduled to meet on Monday at the DSWD head office in Batasan Hills in Quezon City.

Tulfo also got embroiled into “conflict of interest” issue during the term of their sister Wanda Tulfo-Teo as the Secretary at the Department of Tourism (DOT). She was subsequently eased out by President Duterte following the furor that got Teo along with Erwin and another brother Ben Tulfo in trouble with the Ombudsman for the controversial placement of DOT advertisement in their popular radio-TV programs. The graft case was dismissed last year.

“We have learned from that experience. We know now how to avoid it,” the incoming DSWD chief promised.

“Let’s avoid what happened in the past. There was a mistake, lapses back then,” Tulfo conceded. “We must be mindful, careful and watch out it won’t happen again in this administration,” he vowed.

He has yet though to get a clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation for two libel cases also dismissed by the courts.

The youngest of the five siblings, the newly designated DSWD Secretary is the latest Tulfo now occupying key positions in government. Elder brother Raffy was among the 12 newly elected Senators. A sister-in-law Congresswoman Jocelyn Tulfo got re-elected with the Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS). The Congresswoman is married to Raffy and their son got also elected as Congressman in the second district of Quezon City. Their eldest brother Ramon writes a regular column “Sentinel” at The STAR.

Erwin himself was originally the fourth nominee to the ACT-CIS where he is one of its key officers. According to him, he closed down his Tulfo Action Center in Quezon City. He resigned from the ACT-CIS after he accepted the DSWD post to avoid “conflict of interest.” He cited, he already turned over to the ACT-CIS his post to continue its public service programs and other charitable activities.

Tulfo vows to open the gates and doors of DSWD offices all over the country for all the poor and needy people seeking help from the government. “And let the poor in. I don’t want them to line up outside the gates. I want to let them in because that is really the mission of DSWD, to help the poor. They have a right within our offices,” he pointed out.

Among the “marching orders” of PBBM to him, Tulfo disclosed, is to “digitalize” the system of payout of all the “ayuda” given to beneficiaries of all government subsidy programs. Foremost of which is to clean up the list of all existing beneficiaries of the conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor all over the Philippines. Dubbed as “4 Ps,” Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Tulfo noted with deep concern the continuing reports and allegations of corruption.

Also, Tulfo listed among his first to-do orders the “pre-positioning” of all relief goods at all DSWD regional and provincial offices across the country without waiting for calamity to happen first. He commits to people in evacuation centers will no longer “wait more than 24 hours” for all food and other relief goods delivered to them at a moment’s notice.

Like the Marcos family, the Tulfos also want to do well for the country in their own second chance, too.