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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Erwin Tulfo gets chairmanship of Senate foreign affairs panel

Erwin Tulfo gets chairmanship of Senate foreign affairs panel

Published Feb 3, 2026 03:55 pm

At A Glance

  • The Senate has elected Senator Erwin Tulfo as the new chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.


The Senate has elected Senator Erwin Tulfo as the new chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.

At the Senate’s Monday plenary session, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri moved to elect the neophyte senator as the head of the foreign affairs panel.

Tulfo replaced Sen. Imee Marcos, who belongs to the Senate minority bloc.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III approved the motion after no senator made any objection.

In her speech, Marcos thanked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) who stood as her partner in the three and a half years of her engagement as chief of the foreign affairs panel.

During her stint, Marcos was elected as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) representative to the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, for the Asia-Pacific meeting. She was also elected as Secretary General of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians Conference on Environment and Development in Seoul, South Korea.

Also during her stint, the senator was able to introduce two laws: the groundbreaking Loss and Damage Fund Board Act, as well as the New Philippine Passport Act that was passed by your Committee.

“A total of 13 treaties were ratified under our watch: The Violence and Harassment at Work Organization Act, the Social Security Agreements, Cultural Diversity—a long-standing, almost 20-year-old treaty pending for the longest time—and several other acts that should be, perhaps, attempted for many to follow. The Transfer of Sentenced Persons Treaty, the Host Country Agreements, the Philippines-US Narcotics Control, and the Marine Diversity Act. All of these treaties were passed,” she said.

“Also, a total of eight inquiries in aid of legislation into the Philippine-US Task Force, the One China Policy, some very controversial issues: the Ayungin Shoal incident, the inquiry on the US Air Force landing, the Afghan visa applicants, and of course, the infamous ICC hearings on the kidnapping and extraordinary rendition of former President Duterte to the ICC (International Criminal Court) in the Hague,” the senator said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson earlier confirmed that Marcos is set to be replaced by Tulfo as head of the panel, saying it is necessary as the committee is a major and significant panel normally reserved for the majority bloc.

Related Tags

Erwin Tulfo foreign relations committee DFA Imee Marcos
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