Sen. Raffy Tulfo has made clear his presidential survey numbers — including a statistical tie with Vice President Sara Duterte — will not move him to seek the country’s highest office in 2028, with his brother Sen. Erwin Tulfo going further by calling on polling firms to stop including both of them in future presidential preference surveys.
As reported by Bandera, Raffy said flatly that no amount of positive polling will change his position. “Well, una sa lahat, buong pakumbaba, ako po ay nagpapasalamat sa tiwala. Pero I said it before and I’m gonna say it again, wala pa akong balak na tumakbo as President sa 2028,” he told reporters. He added: “However, I believe I’m doing very well as Senator and I can do a lot more as Senator. Therefore, maasahan niyo re-electionist ako sa 2028.”
The senator, whose first term concludes in 2028, argued that the presidency carries far more headaches than a legislative seat — and that he has seen the consequences for officials who leapfrog to higher office too soon.
The pushback from both brothers follows a recently circulated Pulse Asia commissioned survey showing Raffy and Vice President Duterte each drawing 46 percent in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup. The figures were drawn from rider questions embedded in Pulse Asia’s March 2026 Ulat ng Bayan survey, commissioned by the office of Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri. In a multi-candidate field, Duterte led with 43 percent while Raffy placed third at 19 percent.
Erwin was direct about his frustration with the polling attention his brother has been receiving, warning that the survey exposure creates unwanted social media problems for Raffy. “Ang gusto po ng brother ko and myself, sana po next time, ‘wag isama-sama yung mga pangalan po namin dyan, mga tatakbo possible candidates, presidential, vice-presidential. Eh ang plano lang po talaga namin, hanggang dito lang po kami sa Senado,” he said.
Erwin also raised concern that trolls and online bashers tend to pile on whenever Raffy surfaces in presidential rankings — an outcome that serves no purpose given that neither brother has any intention of running for a higher post. “Wala naman po talagang kaplano-plano ‘yung kapatid ko. I was talking to him last night. Or sino man po sa amin to run for higher office of 2028. Okay na po kami dito sa Senado. We’re happy na makatulong. We craft law,” he said.
Erwin suggested that polling firms redirect their attention to figures who are actually planning to run, naming the Remulla brothers, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, and former Sen. Mar Roxas as among those more relevant to include.
Raffy holds the Senate committees on energy and migrant workers — panels with direct bearing on two of the country’s most politically sensitive concerns.
