THE Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) has once again dismissed the amended quo warranto petition filed against Senator Erwin Tulfo, ruling that the case was filed beyond the reglementary period and failed to meet procedural requirements.
The petition, lodged by Berteni Cataluna Causing, alleged that Tulfo was ineligible to hold office due to “disloyalty to the Philippines and allegiance to the United States,” as well as claims of non‑Filipino citizenship, dynasty affiliation, and deficient academic qualifications.
In its official resolution, the Tribunal stated: “The Tribunal DENIED the Motion for Reconsideration with Amended Petition for Quo Warranto, without prejudice to the filing of any other petition.”
The panel further noted that the amended pleading remained insufficient in form — mirroring the exact reason the original petition was previously dismissed. The same set of allegations had also been raised and dismissed when Tulfo was a member of the House of Representatives, before he ran for the Senate in 2025.
Senator Tulfo welcomed the ruling, pointing out that the petitioner — whom he described as a disbarred lawyer — had repeatedly filed similar disqualification cases throughout the campaign, all of which were dismissed. “We are no longer surprised. All DQ cases filed by this person have been dismissed,” Tulfo said. “Despite all this, our work continues. We were elected by the people to serve, and that is what we will keep doing.”
The SET’s ruling leaves the door open for Causing to file a new, properly compliant petition, but bars refiling the same defective version. No timeline was given for whether the petitioner intends to pursue another case.
metrosundaily
