Stressing the importance of prioritizing the safety of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Senator Erwin Tulfo is seeking concerned government agencies’ action to effectively halt, for now, the deployment of OFWs to areas caught in the middle of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
Guesting at the monthly ‘MACHRA Balitaan’ news forum held by the Manila City Hall Reporters’ Association (MACHRA) at the Harbor View Restaurant in Ermita, Manila, Tulfo also shared that he would be prioritizing pro-poor legislative measures in the Senate, vowing to ‘hit the ground running.’
Tulfo said he is calling on the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and even the Bureau of Immigation (BI) to devise ways to effectively hold, albeit temporarily, sending OFWs to conflict-ridden areas in the Middle East for the OFWs’ own safety.
“Hindi naman lahat sa Middle East, kungdi ‘yung mga surrounding areas ng Iran at Israel like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain at andiyan din ang Jordan and Egypt. Ngayon, kung padala tayo nang padala (ng OFWs) baka lumaki ‘yung giyera, mahihirapan tayo dahil milyon ang ating OFWs sa Middle East. If we keep sending (OFWs) now, baka pupuwede i-hold muna kasi delikado po ‘yung ating mga kababayan.” he said.
Tulfo stressed: “Siguro pag nagkaroon na ng ceasefire or natapos na ang giyera, baka puwede na tayo magpadala ulit but for now, baka po madisgrasya ang mga kababayan natin.”
Meanwhile, Tulfo took the opportunity to thank all those who voted for him and even made him land on the top five during the recently-concluded elections, considering that he is a newbie in the world of Senate politics.
Tulfo vowed that he will be a ‘Senator for and of the people’ and that he will make sure that the votes of those who supported him will be worth it.
The Senator also said that he will continue wooing those who did not vote for him and try to find out the reason behind, so he can work on it and show them that he is worth their trust.
It was also learned that both Senators Vicente Sotto III and Francis Escudero have already talked to him to secure his support for their bids for the Senate presidency, but that he told both of them that he would think about it, though saying both have proven themselves to be good leaders in their respective ways.
It will be recalled that Tulfo ran and won as part of the administration’s senatorial slate, Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, along with Sotto.
