Broadcast journalist-turned-lawmaker Raffy Tulfo must be enjoying reliving his part as Mr. Action Man in his popular radio and television programs as he recently sparred verbally with colleague Cynthia Villar in the Senate.

Tulfo, who anchors top-rated shows "Wanted sa Radyo" and "Raffy Tulfo in Action" before getting elected senator is known for his hard-hitting, no-holds-barred commentary on issues about abuses and injustices committed by people in power against ordinary citizens.

As a broadcast journalist, he is a known champion of the poor who fights for the downtrodden, many of whom are laborers who flock to his radio show every day to seek his help.

When the neophyte senator clashed with Villar over the conversion of farmlands into subdivisions and commercial areas, it's as if one is watching one of his top-rating programs. The Senate, it seems, has been witness to his life-changing public service in action.

The heated exchange occurred during the plenary deliberations on the 2023 budget of the Department of Agriculture wherein Tulfo inquired about the DA's efforts to address the decreasing number of farmlands in the country.

"Farmlands are getting smaller and smaller as big developers buy them and convert them into commercial and residential lands. What is the DA doing about this?" he asked.

Villar, the sponsor of the proposed P160.85 billion budget of the DA for next year, responded with a seeming explanation of how her family's business acquired lands to develop into residential or commercial ventures.

The lady senator's family owns and runs property developer and Lifescales with projects that include subdivisions and malls.

While admitting that it is their bread and butter, Villar explained that they do not buy agricultural land in the provinces. "We only buy in cities and capital towns," she said and went on to point out why people sell their lands for profit and reinvestment.

Tulfo, however, said Villar's response was not answering his question. Instead, he repeated his assertion that many farmlands in the country have been commercialized.