[Rear View] In his word war with Erwin Tulfo, Cayetano should be ready for a lot of pain

A piece of unsolicited advice to embattled Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano: Don’t try to out-Tulfo a Tulfo. Don’t even try.

Senator Erwin Tulfo and his brothers, the Tulfo Brothers of shock media, have been playing this game way before Cayetano entered politics. They know the medium. They’re old hands. The pauses, the angles, the putdowns — they know them all. And “Isumbong Mo kay Tulfo” is not just the name of a now defunct radio program. It’s a brand. 

The minority bloc made a wise choice in designating Senator Erwin Tulfo as their spokesperson in the raging word war with Cayetano. 

It’s a role he obviously relishes. The Erwin Tulfo being interviewed on radio and television is not Erwin the dignified senator but Erwin the brawler.

 In front of the camera, you see Erwin in his element. He may be a freshman senator but he’s a heavyweight in this type of cage fight. Cayetano is clearly outmatched. For every jab from Cayetano, Erwin throws a haymaker. And they hurt. 

In Erwin’s presence, Cayetano looks like a newbie live seller offering worn-out arguments, recycled verses, and pre-owned principles.

And that’s only Erwin. Cayetano should read what older brother, Mon, has been saying about him on Facebook. Senator Raffy Tulfo has yielded the spotlight to his younger brother but expect him to throw some solid punches of his own. 

There’s a reason why Erwin and Raffy Tulfo are seen as credible presidential and vice presidential contenders. They are tough guys willing to take on the corrupt, the inefficient, the abusive, and the powerful. The public aches for tough leaders who also show compassion for the poor.

In their programs, the Tulfos dispensed quick justice on air. They have built their professional careers and their brand on vigilante journalism. Where government fails, the Tulfos deliver. They call out abusive government officials. They zero in on the bad guys, and in this political theater we call the Duterte-captured Senate, Cayetano, brought to power in a coup that has turned the chamber into a mud pit of tumult and discord, is the bad guy. He is the poster boy of abusive authority.

Cayetano, however, is too arrogant and full of himself to back out. He is framing this as another test, another battle he needs to fight as Christ’s ambassador, with the aid of his unquestioning senator-apostles. But he suffers from a deficit of credibility. His hypocrisy is on full display. His penchant for online drama fails the test of authenticity. 

Against Erwin Tulfo, he will be in for a lot of pain. – Rappler.com

Joey Salgado is a former journalist, and a government and political communications practitioner. He served as spokesperson for former vice president Jejomar Binay.