Senator-elect Raffy Tulfo on Monday, June 27 said he would prefer using Tagalog or Filipino when debating with colleagues in the Senate so that many of his subscribers and viewers, most of whom are not well-versed in the English language, can understand.
The neophyte senator told reporters about his preferred mode of debating before attending a legislative briefing at the Senate.
“English or Tagalog pwede. Pwede ako sa English, pwede ako sa Tagalog. Pero I prefer Tagalog kasi karamihan sa subscribers ko, viewers ko, followers ko ay hindi masyado nakakaintindi (I can debate either in English or Tagalog. But I prefer Tagalog because most of my subscribers, viewers, and followers do not understand English that much),” Tulfo said during the interview
“So bakit ako magi-(English) spokening, samantalang yung mga bumoto sa akin hindi ako maintindihan...’Binoto ka namin para maintindihan namin ang pinagsasabi mo dyan ( So why will I speak in English, while those who voted for me won’t understand what I will say...’We voted for you so we can understand what you are saying there),” the former broadcast journalist said.
Tulfo echoed the same sentiment of fellow first time senator, actor Robin Padilla, who also committed to communicate in Tagalog saying he would be facing Filipino legislators and “not Americans.”
But both Tulfo and Padilla said they are ready to also debate in English when necessary.
“Tama si Sen. Robin. I agree with him pero kung kinakailangang mag-English ako, mage-English ako. Pero kung kinakailangang mag-Tagalog para maintindihan ng lahat, magta-Tagalog ako o TagLish (I agree with Sen. Robin. If there is a need for me to speak in English, I will speak in English. But if there’s a need to say it in Tagalog so everyone can understand, I will speak in Tagalog, or in Tag-lish),” Tulfo said.