Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said he sees no reason for the Commission on Appointments (CA) to deny the confirmation of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Erwin Tulfo despite questions regarding his supposed US citizenship and pending libel cases before the Supreme Court. 

The bicameral office had earlier deferred action on the ad interim appointment of the DSWD chief after these two issues were raised against Tulfo during his confirmation hearing last Tuesday, November 22.

According to Pimentel, the US government itself seems to have denied Tulfo’s claim that he became an American citizen.

“Ang US yata nagsasabi na hindi siya US citizen eh. Ang information na nakukuha ko, ang US government na ang nagsasabi na (The US government, I think, is the one denying that he is not a US citizen. From the information I gathered, I think the US government itself is saying na) he never became their citizen,” Pimentel said in a Zoom meeting with Senate reporters on Thursday, November 24.

“So kung ako member ng CA ngayon—hindi naman ako member ngayon—kung ganyan ang facts na darating sa akin, na yung US ang nagsasabi na (If I am a member of the CA now, but I am not a member now, if that is the kind of facts that I will receive, that the US itself is saying that) he never became a citizen, therefore, that is a non-issue for me,” Pimentel added.

Pimentel said Tulfo’s citizenship case is different from the case the CA was confronted with in the past wherein the US itself confirmed that a nominee was indeed an American citizen. 

In 2017, the CA rejected the nomination of Perfecto Yasay Jr. as Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary. Yasay was then President Rodrigo Duterte’s first appointee. 

Yasay failed to prove his claim that he was never a U.S. citizen. He admitted to the CA committee that he indeed held a U.S. passport in 1986 but claimed it became null and void after he declared his intent to return to the country. 

During the CA committee hearing last Tuesday, Nov. 22, Tulfo was asked about the veracity of the information of him being an enlisted personnel of the United States Army and stationed in Europe from 1992 to 1996.

Tulfo, in an interview with reporters, said he was a US citizen from 1986, and renounced his US citizenship in 2022. 

But Pimentel reminded lawmakers that citizenship is a matter of state decision. 

“Tandaan ninyo na yung nagsasalita (remember that the one claiming) is a person;  citizenship is a matter of state decision,” he said.

“Ngayon (Now), kung si (if a) person wants to be American, claims to be American, pero sinabi ng US di ka naman Amerikano, tayong mga third party na nagtatanong kung Americano ba yan or hindi, titingin tayo sa US government. Ano ba yung point of view ninyo ? Hindi yung point of view nung tao (But the US is saying you are not American, then we, the third party, asking if he is American or not, should look to the US government’s statement. What is your point of view? Not the point of view of the person),” said Pimentel. 

“So he may have applied, pero yung statement na sinasabi niya na naging Amerikano siya hindi po yun ang controlling statement, dun tayo sa US government kukuha (ng opinion) kung sino ang naging citizen sa mata nila (but his statement wherein he said he is American, that is not the controlling statement. We need to look to the US government for their opinion, who really became US citizens based on their assessment),” he explained.

“So kung ganun ka-simple yung facts dun, wag na natin i-pursue yung issue na ‘yun (If that’s how simple the facts were, then let’s not pursue the issue further) because it may not even be an issue because, if you did not really become an American, you were always a Filipino,” he pointed out.

As to Tulfo’s pending libel cases, Pimentel said he believes the matter can be settled and should not be an issue for disqualification. 

“Kasi libel, may private person na nasaktan (Because in a libel, there is a private person that was hurt). You could even reconcile with that person eh. Pwede naman ma (That can be) amicably settled,” the Senate minority chief said.

“Pagdating sa (When it comes to) libel, I don’t think it’s such a big issue that it disqualifies you to be appointed,” he stressed.