A MEETING was held by Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman, Sen. Erwin Tulfo with Ukraine’s first resident ambassador to the Philippines Yuliia Fediv where they tackled the current situation of Raymon Santos Gumangan, a prisoner of war (POW) in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, among other issues.
In the said talks, Sen. Erwin also appealed to the Ukrainian Ambassador that Gumangan be allowed to reach out to his family in the Philippines, to which Ambassador Fediv responded that she will facilitate the communication of Gumangan with his family.
However, the Ukrainian envoy noted that Gumangan’s release may not be swiftly done due to lack of special trade agreement between Ukraine and the Philippines for such cases.
Sen. Tulfo then committed to coordinate with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to finalize joint agreements regarding cases such as Gumangan’s and those of other Filipinos in conflict zones.
Tulfo, as Senate Foreign Relations Panel Chairman, also expressed concern over Filipinos working in vessels who might be a military target.
“I will ensure that the communication lines between the Philippines and Ukraine remain open so we will be updated about the safety of Filipinos in Ukraine,” he stated.
A native of Alcala, Pangasinan, Gumangan was reportedly recruited for Russian logistics through an online job-hunting platform and later found himself in the military, was captured by Ukrainian forces last September 2025.
It will be recalled that since the Ukrainian-Russo war started in 2022, the DFA suspended sending Filipinos to Ukraine through an Alert Level 4.
Ambassador Fediv said that a joint labor agreement with the Philippines is underway, adding that “it translates to more job for our workers… it’s like we are helping you and you are helping us.”
Following his appointment as Senate Foreign Relations Chairman, Sen. Tulfo has been consistently meeting diplomats and coordinating with the DFA for concerns on international relations and Filipinos overseas.
