No Tulfo brothers will run for higher office in 2028 polls

Expect that no Tulfo brothers will run for higher office in the 2028 elections, following declarations from both Raffy and Erwin Tulfo that no amount of public clamor could convince them to leave their Senate seats for presidential aspirations.

Raffy hinted at running for reelection in the 2028 polls, notwithstanding a recent Pulse Asia survey showing he tied with Vice President Sara Duterte for a possible one-on-one presidential match-up. 

“I have no plans to run as president in 2028. However, I believe I’m doing very well as [a] senator, and I can do a lot more as [a] senator. Therefore, expect that I would be a reelectionist in 2028,” he told reporters in an ambush interview.

He also rejected calls to seek the second-highest office, claiming he learned from the mistakes of past candidates who ran for higher office after serving a first term, only to fail.

Raffy maintained that his current position is already a “final answer,” though he remained open to endorsing a presidential candidate whose advocacies align with his. 

Both Raffy and Erwin believed that running for president was just a pain in the neck. 

A Pulse Asia survey conducted from 27 February to 2 March showed that VP Duterte and Raffy tied for the lead in the 2028 mock presidential race at 46 percent. 

The same poll also pitted VP Duterte and predecessor, Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo, as top presidentiables. Duterte led the survey with 51 percent, while Robredo received 43 percent, though she took the majority in NCR with 42 percent. 

‘Please leave us alone’

Erwin appealed to survey firms to refrain from including him and Raffy as possible contenders for the 2028 national elections. Instead, he said they should confine their selections to the likes of Senator Risa Hontiveros and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remula, who have explicitly declared their intent to run as president. 

Raffy would end his first term as senator in 2028, while Erwin just won a Senate seat last year and would have his term expire in 2031.

Erwin lamented that they had been subjected to intense backlash from the supporters of their rivals in the previous elections and that poll firms adding them as potential contenders only exposed them to criticism anew.

“We're happy where we're at. We already talked about it last night. We’ll stay here in the Senate. There are many possible contenders…The 2025 elections just ended, and my brothers and I were battered by criticisms, by insults. So, please, please leave us alone. Don't include our names for now,” he told reporters in a chance interview. 

Meanwhile, Hontiveros, who is eyeing to run for president, said that although he respects the results of the recent survey, they will not determine the outcome of the elections.