A bully in the Senate

Somebody in the Ethics Committee of the Senate should talk some sense to Senator Rafael "Raffy" Tulfo. A newcomer in the Senate and the realm of national politics, Tulfo was elected in the May 2022 elections.

Just four months into his new legislative job, Tulfo has been behaving like a rude bully in the Senate, as seen from the way he haughtily comports himself when directing questions to government officials summoned to hearings before the Senate, particularly during budget deliberations.

Tulfo may have been elected by the people, but his mandate is not a license for him to treat bureaucrats with discourtesy. Asking questions in a Senate hearing is one thing. Badgering government officials summoned to a Senate hearing is another. Video coverage of the hearings in which Tulfo participated will confirm this.

It looks like power has made Tulfo unable to distinguish between his television programs and the proceedings in the Senate.

In his television programs, the fiery Tulfo often has a heyday scolding government officials who are the subject of complaints brought to his attention by the general public. Tulfo's audiences are delighted to no end by his scathing treatment of the officials at the receiving end of his no holds barred brand of dressing down.

The immense public appeal generated by Tulfo from the way he delivers his harangues against the unfortunate officials interviewed in his television programs is obvious. It is the main reason for his victory in the May 2022 senatorial elections.

Unfortunately, Tulfo the television personality has eclipsed Tulfo the senator. From the way Tulfo behaves in Senate hearings, it seems like he thinks the Senate is an extension of the television studio where he badgers bureaucrats who have met his ire.

Tulfo is obviously grandstanding in the Senate hearings, and grandstanding senators do not help in the improvement of the public image of the Senate.

His grandstanding may look good in the eyes of his television fans and may assure him of re-election in 2028, but it diminishes the stature of the Senate as an institution that is supposed to be led by elected officials truly deserving of the title "Honorable" attached to their names.

The situation in Tulfo's television programs may be something he is used to, but the situation in Senate hearings is different. Government officials who appear at Senate hearings are, in fact, invited guests of the senators and are, therefore, entitled to some basic courtesy. A senator can be firm without being discourteous or disagreeable.

It's like inviting somebody over to one's house and subjecting that guest to rude treatment. That treatment is uncalled for.

There is also Section 21, Article VI of the Constitution which provides that the rights of persons appearing in or affected by legislative inquiries in aid of legislation shall be respected.

Members of Congress are elected by the people to legislate and perform their functions mandated by the Constitution. They are not elected to be rude to government officials who show up in Senate hearings.

Tulfo's salary as a senator is paid by taxpayers, a term which includes the government officials who appear in Senate hearings. At the very least, therefore, Tulfo should show some courtesy to his paymasters who appear in the Senate.

Besides, Tulfo is not exactly beyond question himself. He is an ex-convict. In 2019, the Supreme Court affirmed Tulfo's conviction for the crime of libel (Guy vs Tulfo, G.R. 213023, 10 April 2019). Libel, in turn, is a crime involving moral turpitude (Zari vs Flores, A.M. No. 2170-MC; 21 November 1979).

Apparently, all the foregoing have not dawned on Tulfo.

Having been in the Senate for just four months, there is still a chance for the very popular Tulfo to become a statesman. All he needs to do is to dispense with his grandstanding in the Senate, and observe the proper decorum expected of an honorable senator.