CA defers Tulfo’s confirmation over libel conviction, citizenship issues

A COMMISSION on Appointments (CA) panel deferred on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, the confirmation of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Erwin Tulfo over citizenship and libel conviction issues.

The CA labor, employment, social welfare, and migrant workers panel, which hears the ad-interim appointment of Tulfo, suspended the public session for the conduct of an executive session.

Tulfo requested an executive session when asked by the panel about his citizenship, which stemmed from his tenure as a United States Army enlisted personnel from 1988 to 1992.

In an interview with reporters, Tulfo said he already renounced his US citizenship before he was appointed to the post.

Tulfo was found liable for four counts of libel charges, which he said were related to his work as a journalist.

He said the charges stemmed from a story he wrote about a government official in which the court ordered him to reveal his sources but he refused to do so.