Erwin Tulfo admits being undocumented worker in US

MANILA, Philippines — Rep. Erwin Tulfo (ACT-CIS Partylist) said on Monday, January 6, that he had once been an undocumented Filipino in the United States, addressing allegations surrounding his US passport, which reportedly bore the name “Erich Sylvester Tulfo”  and a different birthday.   

Speaking on his radio show "Punto Asintado Reload", Tulfo spent nearly 40 minutes recounting his family's financial struggles and his decade-long stint working various blue-collar jobs in the US. At the same time, he blasted at the "vloggers" who accused him of falsifying his identity. 

While he openly admitted to being a TNT — short for “tago nang tago” (always hiding), a term for undocumented migrants evading immigration authorities — he refrained from directly addressing allegations that he falsified documents.

"That’s the only mistake that I did. I became a TNT. That’s true. I’m not ashamed that I was once an undocumented alien … because I had no papers,” Tulfo said in a mix of English and Filipino.  

Tulfo, who is running for senator in the 2025 midterm elections, said that he only became a TNT because he wanted to earn and support his family.  

“I am not ashamed of it, but I won’t brag about it either. Why? Because what I used to feed my children wasn’t stolen, nor did I scam anyone,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.  

Tulfo admitted that during his time in the US, undocumented workers like him often resorted to purchasing forged documents — including driver’s licenses and birth certificates — to secure jobs.  

“There were places where you could buy a driver’s license, social security, birth certificate… and you’d do everything you could to find work,” he said. 

However, Tulfo did not explicitly confirm whether he used fraudulent documents.  

Tulfo then narrated how he left the Philippines in 1986 on a tourist visa, eventually overstaying to work in the US. He recalled juggling multiple jobs, starting as a supermarket cart pusher during the day and a dishwasher at night at a Filipino restaurant. 

Over the next decade, he said he took on roles as a bagger, stockroom clerk, caregiver, warehouseman, janitor, security guard, mechanic’s assistant and a driver for