ACT-CIS Party-list nominee Erwin Tulfo (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)



Prayers answered by God. That's how ACT-CIS Party-list nominee and former Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) secretary Erwin Tulfo described the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc to junk the motion for reconsideration (MR) lodged in connection with his disqualification case. The motion was the last hurdle to his assumption of the third and final seat of ACT-CIS Party-list in the House of Representatives this 19th Congress. “Ang masasabi ko lang, salamat (What I can say is, thank you). First of all, I guess prayers answered by God," Tulfo told House reporters in an interview on Wednesday night, July 12 when asked about the en banc ruling. "Pangalawa po is to thank the Comelec en banc for the decision (Second is to thank Comelec en banc for the decision). They really looked at it carefully. Thirdly now is the part of learning and working at the same time," he said. "Kailangan e (That's what's needed). There’s no more time to, learn lang (just learn). While you learn [you have ] to work also," added Tulfo, who is also a broadcast journalist. While Tulfo still isn't included in the roll of House members, this only remains a mere formality: he took his ought as ACT-CIS Party-list nominee last May 30 before House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe. Shortly after this, Tulfo began to occupy an office in Batasan Complex, home of the House of Representatives, in Quezon City. Now that his disqualification case is no more, Tulfo may now participate in House sessions, the next scheduled one being the July 24 session--the day of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s second State of the Nation Address (SONA). ACT-CIS Party-list was the top vote-getter during the 2022 party-list race.