Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he hopes former Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo will still be part of his administration, but adds it will not be as presidential adviser.
“That’s really not been part of the plan for Erwin. We have other plans for him, not as presidential adviser,” Marcos said at a media conference in Malacañang on Monday.
Marcos recognized Tulfo’s work as chief of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and thinks he can be an asset to the government.
“Because whatever we say, the difficulties that he faced with the Commission on Appointments, the time that he was running the DSWD, he did a very good job. We can’t lose that kind of an asset,” he added.
“We’ll find something that he can do so we can take advantage of his good instincts when it comes to social service.”
The CA bypassed Tulfo for a second time in December. The president has named Undersecretary Eduardo Punay as officer-in-charge of the DSWD later that month.
The CA deferred Tulfo’s appointment due to his four libel convictions as a columnist and questions over his citizenship after he served in the United States military in 1998.
