 | This articleis missing information about his career as a broadcast journalist, columnist, radio presenter, and television personality. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(June 2022) |
Raffy Tulfo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Official Senate portrait, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senator of the Philippines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office June 30, 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Rafael Teshiba Tulfo (1960-03-12)March 12, 1960 (age 65) Quezon City,Metro Manila, Philippines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Independent (2021–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Ramon Tulfo (brother) Wanda Tulfo Teo (sister) Ben Tulfo (brother) Erwin Tulfo (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children |
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| Occupation |
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| Other names | Idol Raffy[3] "Action Man" (Wanted sa Radyo) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| YouTube information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Years active | 2016–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Subscribers | 29.8 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Views | 18.1 billion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last updated: October 22, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rafael Teshiba Tulfo (Tagalog:[ˈɾafiˈtulfo]; born March 12, 1960) is a Filipino politician, broadcast journalist, and media personality who has served as asenator of the Philippines since 2022.[4]
His works are focused ongovernment and private sector issues, and he is best known as the host of the long-running public affairs radio programWanted sa Radyo, and the former anchor ofAksyon sa Tanghali from 2014 to 2020 that featured the segment "Ipa-Raffy Tulfo Mo".[5] HisYouTube channelRaffy Tulfo in Action, which features videos from both shows, is the third-most subscribed Filipino YouTube channel as of 2021.[6][7] Tulfo sought a seat in thePhilippine senate in the2022 election[8] and won placing third overall with 23 million votes.[9] Tulfo serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy[10] and Senate Committee on Migrant Workers.
Rafael Teshiba Tulfo[3] was born inQuezon City on March 12, 1960.[11] He is the son of Ramon Tulfo Sr., a colonel in thePhilippine Constabulary,[12] and Caridad (née Teshiba), a housewife, who died in 2024, at the age of 97. He is the eighth out of ten siblings which includes Tuchi, Bong, Joseph, Edelle,[13] broadcastersRamon,Ben,Erwin, as well as formertourism secretaryWanda Corazon Teo.[14][15] Tulfo would describe his family as middle class.[16]
A college dropout, Tulfo spent four years in different universities and studied several majors including economics, political science, agribusiness and commerce but did not finish a degree before becoming a journalist.[17]
Tulfo is associated withTV5.[18] Although he would start his broadcasting career with thePeople's Television Network (PTV).[19]
Tulfo's first television program wasPhilippines' Most Wanted which aired from 1995 to 2002. He co-hosted it with Nina Taduran. The program was produced by his uncle and aunt. It was withMost Wanted when Tulfo began to be referred to as "idol".[16]
He would be known for the radio broadcast programWanted sa Radyo[19] as well inYouTube forRaffy Tulfo in Action (RTIA).[20]
Tulfo would endorse theACT-CIS Partylist for the2019 House of Representatives elections, with the organization managing to garner three seats in the lower house. He himself in August 2019, has initially stated that he had no plans to enter politics as a candidate in the2022 elections insisting that he is satisfied in his current situation and would focus on "public service".[18]
On October 2, 2021, Tulfo would change his mind and filed his certificate of candidacy for senator as anindependent candidate for the2022 senatorial election.[21] On February 8, 2022, he joined the senatorial slate of presidential candidateManny Pacquiao.[22] Tulfo finished in third place, receiving 23,396,954 votes, and was proclaimed as Senator on May 18, 2022.[9] Tulfo was later elected as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy.[10]
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At the start of the19th Congress in July 2022, Tulfo filed his priority bills which include protecting Filipino workers from abusive employers and providing discounts for poor job applicants. He also filed a bill amending the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act to protect all family members from violence.[23] Amid rising electricity rates in Mindanao and other parts of the Philippines in August 2022, Tulfo called for a Senate investigation into the rotational blackouts in the country and filed a Senate resolution seeking to avert the imminent energy crisis.[24]
In 2023, Tulfo filed a bill legalizing and regulating the underground importation ofukay-ukay second-hand products which already evolved as part of Filipino culture.[25] He later filed a bill mandating all providers ofcritical infrastructure services such as power generation and distribution, water supply, healthcare, transportation, communications, and financial services to respond within two hours from the time of emergency service requests.[26] He also filed a bill establishing security monitoring systems such asCCTV cameras in all prison cells to ensure the safety of inmates and prison personnel.[27] Between February and April, Tulfo filed Senate resolutions seeking to probe reports ofbullying within the hospital hierarchy,[28] investigate reported delays of theSocial Security System in processing retirement and death claims of its members,[29] conduct an inquiry into reported inhumane treatment of patients and possible corruption at theNational Center for Mental Health,[30] and investigate "arrogant and condescending" government employees which he says are creating "an atmosphere of fear and mistrust" in government institutions.[31] Amid several power outages in Luzon and growing tension between the Philippines and China in May 2023, Tulfo filed a senate resolution investigating theNational Grid Corporation of the Philippines to verify if it poses a threat to national security for being 40 percent owned by theState Grid Corporation of China.[32]
In regards to a potential 2028 presidential bid, Tulfo's brotherErwin in April 2024 insist that Raffy does not want to run for the position.[33] Raffy Tulfo would affirm the lack of interest, requesting survey organizations to "exclude his name" inopinion polls for the upcoming vote and people to support the incumbent administration of PresidentBongbong Marcos out of courtesy.[34]
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From 1996 to 1999, Tulfo wrote a series of articles in hisAbante Tonite column alleging anomalous and illegal activities by officials of theBureau of Customs. Tulfo, together with publisher Allen Macasaet and managing editor Nicolas Quijano Jr., were charged with libel by customs lawyer Carlos So on April 12, 1999.[35] On February 28, 2005, thePasay City Regional Trial Court found Tulfo, Macasaet and Quiano guilty of 14 counts of libel and were sentenced to up to 32 years of imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of₱14,700,000 (equivalent to ₱25,979,202 in 2021) total.[36][37] On June 29, 2021, theSupreme Court acquitted Tulfo of the libel charges.[38][39]
On March 24, 2004, Tulfo published an article in hisAbante Tonite column accusing businessman Michael Guy of seeking help from formerfinance secretaryJuanita Amatong to halt a tax fraud investigation by theDepartment of Finance’s Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS). The claim was proven false, however, as the RIPS only investigates government officials and did not have jurisdiction over Guy.[40] On February 24, 2010, theMakati Regional Trial Court convicted Tulfo and seven representatives fromAbante's publisher of libel and were ordered to pay a total of₱10,211,200 (equivalent to ₱14,205,716 in 2021) to Michael Guy for damages and attorney's fees.[40] In July 2019, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction and increased the amount of damages needed to be paid.[41][42]
In January 2007, Tulfo and his brothers Ramon and Erwin, each posted bail after aQuezon City Regional Trial Court judge issued warrants for their arrests following a libel complaint by then-first gentlemanMike Arroyo.[43] The brothers had previously accused Arroyo of using his influence to force the government-sequestered stationRPN to cancel their investigative news programIsumbong Mo! (Tulfo Brothers).[44] On July 16, 2007, the libel case against the brothers was dismissed.[45]
In June 2014, Tulfo again posted bail for an arrest warrant issued by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court after Senior Police Officer III Abubakhar Manlangit filed a libel case against him and his brother Erwin.[46] The policeman, who appeared in a November 15, 2011, episode ofT3, also filed anMTRCB complaint against the brothers after being called a "thief" on air which contributed to a 20-day suspension of the program.[47]
On April 18, 2022, Tulfo's Senate bid faced a disqualification case due his conviction for the crime of libel.[48]
In 2023, theDaily Tribune reported that Raffy Tulfo has been a product endorser of the 1UP brand by Superbreakthrough Enterprises, a company which theSecurities and Exchange Commission has issued a cease and desist order for illegally soliciting investments.[49] Tulfo's camp has reasoned that his endorsement is on assuring the quality of 1UP products rather than the operations of Superbreakthrough.[50]
Tulfo is married toJocelyn Pua, the incumbent representative forACT-CIS Partylist since 2019. They had two wedding ceremonies – at the Office of the Municipal Circuit Trial Court inLuna, Isabela on June 24, 1993, and at the Little Quiapo restaurant inQuezon City on January 20, 1995. Together, they have two children and one grandson.[51] His daughter Maricel (born 1992) also hosts his programsWanted sa Radyo andIdol in Action. His sonRalph Wendell (born 1996) is the incumbent representative of the2nd district of Quezon City since 2022.
Julieta Nacpil Licup claimed that she and Tulfo married on October 25, 1982, at a civil wedding inCapas, Tarlac with supporting evidence and they have one daughter named Grendy, born in 1984. In addition, Julieta also claimed that Tulfo left her when she was five months pregnant with their child because of a misunderstanding. Because they were not able to communicate with each other thereafter in 1984, Julieta thought that Tulfo was dead and filed paperwork within the Philippine courts with evidence of her attempts at finding him. The courts approved her petition to his presumptive death and she was able to remarry an American in 1992. As a result, Tulfo was sued forbigamy on June 10, 2019, as their marriage was not annulled.[52][53] She also claimed that Tulfo also married another woman named Celedonia Amos in theUnited States in 1985.[1] He also faced a disqualification case beforeCommission on Elections given those claims of his past marriages, but was later junked by the Commission's 2nd division because it "does not pertain to his qualification for elective office."[2][54]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1993–2006 | Isumbong Mo Kay Tulfo | Host |
| 1995–98 | Pangunahing Balita Ala-Una | News Anchor |
| 1997–2002 | Philippines' Most Wanted | Host |
| 1998–2001 | Pambansang Balita Ala-Una | News anchor |
| 1997–2004 | Balitang Balita | News anchor |
| 2002–03 | Task Force Siyasat | Host |
| 2003–05 | Problema Mo, Sagot Ko! | Host |
| 2004–06 | Sentro | News anchor |
| 2005–06 | Kamao Reloaded | Host |
| 2006 | Isumbong Mo! (Tulfo Brothers) | Host |
| 2010 | Oplan Zero Tambay | Host |
| 2010–12 | Balitaang Tapat | News Anchor |
| 2011 | Wanted | Host |
| 2011–16 | T3: Alliance | Host |
| 2013–14 | Aksyon Weekend | News anchor |
| 2014–20 | Aksyon sa Tanghali | News Anchor |
| 2017 | Amo | Host |
| 2019 | #TolWagTroll Respeto Lang | Host |
| 2019–20 | One Balita Pilipinas | News Anchor |
| 2020–21 | Idol in Action | Host |
| Frontline Pilipinas | Anchor | |
| 2021 | Wanted: Ang Serye | Host |
| 2024–present | Kapatid Mo, Idol Raffy Tulfo | Host |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1994–2011 | Wanted sa Radyo | Host |
| 2011–24 | ||
| 2024—present |
| Political offices | ||
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| Senate of the Philippines | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of thePhilippine Senate Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development Committee 2025–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chair of thePhilippine Senate Public Services Committee 2024–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chair of thePhilippine Senate Energy Committee 2022–2024 | Succeeded by |
Senatorial history of Raffy Tulfo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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