AT one point during our police reporter days (shortly after Tita Cory Aquino became President in 1986) ay nakasama namin sa beat ang dalawa sa noo’y pinagpipitaganang news reporters ng ABS-CBN.
Assigned kami to cover SPD (Southern Police District) which then included Mandaluyong na ngayo’y bahagi na ng EPD (Eastern): mga regional trial courts, local governments at pulisya.
Sa Makati nakasama ng inyong lingkod si Ces Drilon, samantalang sa Pasay naman (which served as our base) ay si Erwin Tulfo who alternated with Patrick Paez now one of big bosses of TV5.
Kung hindi kami nagkakamali, the then-dashing (hanggang ngayon naman) Erwin was a stringer. Rarely did we see him kasi.
Palibhasa a virtual greenhorn, we knew nothing much about Erwin o ang kanyang tatlong kapatid na lalaki na nasa larangan din (pala) ng pamamahayag.
Maikli lang ang aming stint bilang police reporter probably because we were not cut out for it. But it served as a good training ground though.
In life, there are career detours. At napadpad din naman kami sa ibang larangan ng pagsusulat, sa showbiz. But once in a while, we still get to reconnect with former peers on certain occasions.
Fast forward. Taong 2016 noong makapagtrabaho kami, albeit brief (one and a half years to be exact), sa Radyo Singko, the radio arm of TV5 na ilang beses nang ini-repackage but to no avail.
Sa maraming pagkakataon, we would bump into Erwin. When there wasn’t yet a nationwide smoking ban even in office buildings, ang paborito naming lugar to satisfy our insatiable addiction to yosi was the fire exit sa ikalawang palapag ng TV5 (in Mandaluyong).
q q q
Over cigarette puffs that would almost engulf the entire area, Erwin Tulfo would join us, kami ni Cristy Fermin, over casual talks not necessarily fit or acceptable on radio.
Mga kung anik-anik lang ‘yon, kuwento after kuwento with matching critical thoughts na puwedeng ikarga sa editorials ng mga diyaryo.
Back then, we personally thought na isang napakadisente’t walang bahid-dungis na brodkaster ang aming kaharap, bukod sa obyus na katotohanang kakambal ng tikas na katawang taglay ni Erwin ay katalinuhan.
Or shall we say rectitude.
The past week, however, changed all that. Ito’y nu’ng bungangaan niya si DSWD Sec. Rolando Joselito Bautista sa himpapawid for not taking his call para kapanayamin sa kanyang programang “Tatak Tulfo.”
Sa mga hindi nakakaalam, isang retiradong army general si Bautista na appointee sa ilalim ng administrasyong Duterte (tulad ng kanyang kapatid na si Wanda Teo who served as DOT Secretary na dawit sa million-peso scam along with his brother Ben at si Erwin mismo).
Bautista’s refusal to pick up the call was a matter of SOP. Kailangan daw muna kasing padalhan ng pormal na liham ang kanyang departamento five days before.
Ito ang ikina-bad trip ni Erwin prompting him to call Bautista “buwang,” even threatened him na kapag nagkita raw sila’y sasampalin niya ito. Worse, ingungudngod pa sa indoro.
Apparently, ang tinuran ni Erwin ay hindi toilet humor although his threat smacked of grossness unbecoming of a supposedly decent media person.
To us, pang-aabuso na ‘yon ng freedom of expression which is NEVER absolute. Wala bang mas maayos at edukadong paraan para tawagin ang pansin ng DSWD without shaming its head?
Erwin, stop crossing the line. Patunayan mo na ang pagiging papable mo ay hindi lang panlabas.
May tinatawag na GMRC (huwag ng ethics in broadcast journalism), in case you don’t know.