Senator Raffy Tulfo maintained on Tuesday, May 5, that he has no plans to run for president in 2028.

In an interview, Tulfo reiterated his focus on his current role in the Senate and dismissed speculation linking him to a future presidential bid.

This was after Tulfo tied with Vice President Sara Duterte in a Pulse Asia presidential preference poll.

"Una sa lahat, buong pakumbaba ako ay nagpapasalamat sa tiwala, pero I said it before and I'm going to say it again: wala po akong balak tumakbo as president in 2028 (First of all, with all humility, I thank you for the trust. But I said it before and I’m going to say it again: I have no plans to run for president in 2028)," he said.

Tulfo believes that he's doing well as a senator and that he can do a lot more being one, so the public can expect him to run as a reelectionist in 2028.

He added that his high ratings in the survey will not change his mind and that he's currently "very happy" as a senator.

"I don't want to commit the same mistakes that others committed," he said, noting how others ran for higher office after a single term in the Upper Chamber but failed.

He said that there are other viable options, such as Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo and Senators Risa Hontiveros and Bam Aquino, among others.

Meanwhile, his brother Senator Erwin Tulfo called on survey groups to stop including their names in early presidential and vice-presidential polls.

Senator Erwin said both of them were surprised to see their names again floated in surveys, particularly those pairing his brother with Sara Duterte.

“Ang gusto po ng brother ko and myself, sana po next time…huwag isama-sama yung mga pangalan po namin dyan…Eh ang plano lang po talaga namin, hanggang dito lang po kami sa Senado (What my brother and I want is that, next time, please don’t include our names in that. Our plan really is just to stay here in the Senate),” he said.

Tulfo added that they discussed the issue the night before, saying his brother was “worried” after seeing the survey results circulating in traditional and social media.

“Wala naman po talagang kaplano-plano yung kapatid ko…or sino man po sa amin to run for higher office in 2028. Okay na po kami dito sa Senado (My brother really has no plans...and neither do any of us—to run for higher office in 2028. We’re already content here in the Senate),” he said.

He appealed to survey firms to instead focus on other potential candidates from both the administration and the opposition, noting that several personalities have already expressed interest in higher office.

Tulfo reiterated that neither he nor his brother intends to run for higher office, describing the prospect as burdensome.

“Sakit po sa ulo yan eh…mas maganda po dito sa Senate (That’s just a headache… it’s much better here in the Senate),” he said.