By Prof. Danton Remoto
This piece could very well be called The King and I, with the way things are shaping up in the political scene.
I first heard Raffy Tulfo on the radio in 2005. I remember it clearly. I was on the way to a meeting at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). I took a taxi and after a few minutes, the driver turned on his radio.
There was a man in a distinct voice with a trace of a Visayan accent. He was berating a policeman for an alleged crime or misdemeanor. And boy, oh boy, the man on the radio did not hold back. He let loose a fusillade of curses against the policeman on the other end of the line.
Whoa! I thought, what does the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) have to say about this? I asked the driver the name of the man eloquent in his anger. He said, “Raffy Tulfo.”
Five years later, I was working as a Communications Officer at the United Nations Development Program when my friend, Luchi Cruz-Valdes, the Vice-President for News and Information at TV5, invited me to work for them. She offered me the job of Head of News Research, whose remit was to teach reporters how to gather and write the news, for TV, radio and online news. The chance to train the next generation of broadcast journalists appealed to me so I accepted the job.
I remember my first day on the job, as clearly as I remember what happened on the
CCP grounds in 2005. In the cramped quarters of TV5 in Novaliches, I shared a table with two of my staff members, and that table was near the door of the studio. There was a live show featuring the Tulfo Brothers, and I heard again the thinly-accented Visayan accent berating a police officer. I said, “Wow. Last week, I was working in the polite world of diplomacy; today, I’m in the hurly-burly world of broadcast journalism, Philippine style.”
But there were fewer crisp curses this time, and then I learned that someone listed down all the “bad words” uttered on the air and deducted a corresponding amount from Raffy Tulfo’s pay. He – and his brothers Erwin and Ben – had been told to tone down, since the eagle-eyed Mary Grace Poe was heading the Movie and Television Review Cinema Board (MTRCB). She said that the MTRCB would not hesitate to impose penalties on TV and radio shows that violate the law, especially those shown or heard on prime time.
For seven years I stayed at TV 5. Aside from working as head of research, I also hosted a daily radio show for one year and a daily radio show for seven years. And I also monitored all the TV and radio shows, as part of my job. To a man, the three Tulfo brothers always called me “Professor,” even if I insisted that they call me Danton. But they always said, “Iba po talaga pag Professor. That is a sign of respect.” That is my first inkling that the personal Tulfos and the performer Tulfos are different.
I only met Raffy a few times, since he was always gone the moment his show was finished. But he always invited me to his birthday parties, which I attended not only for the food but also the guests. There were only a few politicians present – not even three such fellows. The guests were mostly from TV5 and Raffy’s personal friends.
One day, Raffy asked me if his daughter, Maricel, could interview me for her thesis at the University of Santo Tomas. Naturally I obliged, and I answered Maricel’s questions and even helped her with the context for her thesis. I also gave her pointers on how to sharpen her writing and the delivery of her insights.
The next day, a very happy Raffy Tulfo went to my table and thanked me profusely for helping his daughter. “My daughter said you are very knowledgeable and very kind.” I just told him that is what I do when students ask me questions with their thesis. From then on, Raffy would always smile at me when he would see me from afar, come to me and shake my hand, asking how I am.
On the other hand, Erwin Tulfo had a radio show called “Punto Asintado” from 7-10 AM. Whenever he would go overseas, usually on Christmas vacation, he would call me up weeks before and ask me to host or co-host his show. I usually co-hosted it with Martin Andanar, who would later become the chief of President Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential communications team.
Martin would sometimes kick my foot under the table when I asked a sharp question or two from a military officer. I would then say that my questions were polite, but they had to be asked.
On his way home, Erwin would sometimes ask to be on phone patch during my show, “Remoto Control,” to give a live update on the traffic. It is a policy for our radio shows to be updated on everything, from traffic to the weather to the events of the day. Erwin often did that. Sometimes, he would ask me to be his co-host when he felt sick but had to be present during the show. He was always formal and proper in his show when I was present, such that I would tease him afterward about his proper behavior. He would just say, “Because the teacher is here, we have to behave.”
I had more interaction with Ben Tulfo because we had the same makeup artist. After he was done with the makeup, he would come to my table with food, or with his stories. He told me about his late father, Colonel Ramon S. Tulfo, Sr., and how strict he was. He added that the only person the Tulfo Brothers are afraid of mortally is their mother, Caridad Teshiba Tulfo, who would often remind them to tone down the language in their commentaries. I would sometimes hitch a ride with Ben from TV5 in Novaliches to Trinoma, and swap many more stories. He would tell me that he sometimes envies me, since I could just take a cab and no one would want to shoot me down. “Unlike my brothers and I, we have so many death threats…”
When Raffy ran for elections as an independent senator, I was in San Remigio, northern Cebu, writing my book. But I also took the time off to campaign for him house-to-house, in the towns of northern Cebu. Then I went to the US on a writing fellowship after the elections. When I returned, I saw Raffy on Radyo 5 and he walked towards me happily. I said I had campaigned for him in northern Cebu but it was not a hard campaign, for they already liked him there: he was Visayan, and he has a hugely popular show and YouTube channel.
Several times before, I posted photos of myself on Facebook with the three Tulfo brothers. The response from my elite and educated friends was muted, even frigid. Some would personally message me on why I have photos with those “three eggs” (their term). I said I had worked with them for seven years on TV5 and they are friends of mine.
Now, Raffy and Erwin Tulfo are sitting senators. Their names have been floated as presidential or vice-presidential timber. A recent survey has put Raffy and Vice President Sara Duterte in a dead heat of 46 percent.
But last week, Raffy and Erwin Tulfo said they are not interested in running for vice-president or president. But their only window of opportunity is in the 2028 elections. After that, we don’t know where the winds of destiny will blow.
So, my crystal ball is looking at the possibility of Ben Tulfo running for either president or vice-president. He took up Journalism at Lyceum of the Philippines and has been running his own media company for more than 21 years. He has executive experience; and one UP professor said “Ben is more sophisticated than his two brothers.”
I think the Tulfo brand is transferable. As of today, that is the only brand that could face Sara Duterte, now that her impeachment in the Senate is well-nigh impossible.
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Danton Remoto’s novels and short stories are available at National Book Store, Fully Booked, the website of Central Books, Shopee and Lazada; Kinokuniya in Asia; and Amazon globally.