Senator Raffy Tulfo admitted that the vehicle caught for unauthorized use of the EDSA Busway belonged to his son, Quezon City 2nd District Representative Ralph Wendel Tulfo.
The Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT) recently reported that it apprehended the driver of an unnamed lawmaker for using the EDSA Busway on January 23.
Furthermore, the SAICT noted that the same driver was reportedly apprehended for using the busway on September 26, 2024.
Tulfo revealed that he reprimanded his son as soon as he learned about the incident, and his son immediately apologized.
He further stated that he sees no issue with the incident, as his son did not flee, abuse authority, or use offensive language.
“Inadmit naman niya, hindi naman siya nagsinungaling at nag-apologize siya so wala akong nakikitang problema doon. As long as hindi siya tumakas, hindi siya gumamit ng plakang otso, which karapatan niyang gumamit pero hindi siya gumamit. It just shows na hindi siya abusado," Tulfo said during an ambush interview with the media.
The senator stated that, to his knowledge, his son was in a hurry and that it was the driver's decision to take the busway.
"Pinagalitan ko siya, pinagsabihan ko. Pinagalitan ko at nagsorry sa akin at sabi ko mag-apologize ka sa lahat and that's it," he added.
Rep. Tulfo's apology
In a statement on January 28, the senator’s son apologized to the public, especially to those who were affected and inconvenienced by the incident.
Rep. Tulfo clarified that there was no mention or use of any public official’s name when their convoy was apprehended on the busway.
"WALA rin pong nangyaring anumang pang-aabuso sa awtoridad para makalusot o mapawalang-sala sa insidenteng ito. Sa halip, tinanggap po namin ang tiket at ang aming pagkakamali nang walang pag-aalinlangan," Rep. Ralph Tulfo said.
"Nabayaran na rin po ang mga kaukulang multa at sasailalim sa kinakailangang seminar upang higit na maunawaan at maipaalala ang umiiral na batas trapiko," he added.
In closing, the lawmaker vowed to take all necessary steps to prevent the incident from happening again.
