Erwin Tulfo

Senator Erwin Teshiba Tulfo was a former broadcast journalist and columnist before serving as a Senator of the Philippines. A prominent figure in Philippine media before entering electoral politics, he belongs to the influential Tulfo family of broadcasters.

The senator was born in Tacloban City, Leyte to Colonel Ramon Silvestre Tulfo Sr., a former member of the Philippine Constabulary, and Caridad Teshiba-Tulfo. 

Erwin and his siblings—including fellow broadcast journalists Ramon, Ben, and Senator Raffy Tulfo— established a major footprint in Philippine media.

Erwin ompleted a Special Degree program in Business Administration from the University of the East. 

Prior to his broadcast career in the Philippines, he spent time in the United States.

Erwin's media career spans over two decades:

From 1995 to 2006, he erved as a news reporter and anchor for flagship programs of ABS CBN, including TV Patrol, ABS-CBN Weekend News, Magandang Gabi Bayan, and Hoy Gising!

On TV5, he anchored the primetime newscast Aksyon and co-hosted the public service program T3: Alliance alongside his brothers.

His public service brand is  called Spearheaded Mission X, which later evolved into the Erwin Tulfo Action Center.

In May 2022, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. nominated Tulfo as the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and he assumed office ad interim on June 30, 2022. 

However, Tulfo's appointment faced issues before the Commission on Appointments (CA) over his past US citizenship (which he renounced in early 2022) and prior libel convictions stemming from his work as a columnist, causing his appointment to be bypassed in December 2022.

Tulfo transitioned to the legislative branch in May 2023, stepping in as the nominee for the ACT-CIS Partylist. During his tenure in the 19th Congress, he was designated Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.

Running under the administration's Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas coalition, Tulfo secured a seat in the 2025 Senate elections, placing fourth overall, and officially assumed office on June 30, 2025.

In the current Congress, he serves as the Chairperson for the following committees:

  - Senate Blue Ribbon Committee
  - Senate Committee on Games and Amusement
  - Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development

His legislative platform primarily focuses on poverty reduction, social welfare enhancements, the expansion of PhilHealth benefits, and protections for consumers and senior citizens.