Erwin Tulfo kicks off senatorial bid

ACT-CIS Partylist Representative Erwin Tulfo has formally pushed for a Senate seat on Sunday as he filed his certificate of candidacy (CoC) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) satellite office in Manila Hotel.

Tulfo, one of the frontrunners for the senatorial race according to some polls along with his brother Ben, who also filed his CoC on Saturday, addressed issues on the political dynasty.

"As long as there is no law against political dynasty, let the people decide. If there will be a law already, then we'll stop," said Tulfo. "It's not going to stop as long as there's no law. We let the people decide. It's in the power of the people.”

Tulfo is running under Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

"Why Lakas-CMD? Because I believe Lakas-CMD encompasses everybody, not just Christians, not just Muslims, not just Democrats. That's why I joined because of the belief that we represent everybody," Tulfo said.

"Lakas-CMD focuses on helping the poor, poverty alleviation," he added.

If elected, Erwin will be joining his brother Senator Raffy Tulfo.

Meantime, musician Jimmy Bondoc also filed his CoC accompanied by Senator Robinhood Padilla. The senatorial aspirant is running under PDP-Laban.

"I'm loyal to the PDP-Laban and I will also be loyal to the best policies," he said.

Asked if he is loyal to former president Rodrigo Duterte, Bondoc said, "Absolutely. He is my friend. My goal is to strengthen the best of the best of the Duterte principle."

If elected, Bondoc, also a lawyer, said he would optimize the entertainment industry as an economic force.

Bondoc previously served as a member of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) board of directors.