Team DailyPedia
Veteran journalist Ramon Tulfo has sparked controversy after alleging that Vice President Sara Duterte is romantically involved with her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez.
Tulfo’s claims, made in a Facebook post, have drawn sharp criticism and intensified public debate over the private lives of government officials and the use of public funds.
In his post, Ramon Tulfo questioned Vice President Duterte’s decision to stay with Lopez, who is detained at the Batasang Pambansa detention facility.
“Bakit ayaw iwanan ni Vice President Sara Duterte ang kanyang chief of staff na si Zuleika Lopez sa Batasang Pambansa detention facility?” Tulfo wrote.
He further alleged: “Sara cares so much for Lopez she has decided to stay with her at the House jail leaving congressmen puzzled. Gusto ba talaga ninyong malaman? Ok, ito ang sagot: si Sara at Zuleika ay matagal magkasintahan. Di ba ninyo nahahalata? Sara is a lesbian. Tomboy or AC-DC siya. Puwedeng sa lalake at sa babae. Siya ay bisexual. Matagal nang alam ng mga taga Davao ang relasyon nina Sara at Zuleika.”
Tulfo also described Duterte as bisexual, using language that has been criticized as offensive by members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The allegations have drawn condemnation from advocacy groups and the LGBTQIA+ community for perpetuating stereotypes and using pejorative language. Critics also questioned the relevance of Tulfo’s claims to public discourse.
Ramon’s younger brother, journalist Ben Tulfo, publicly distanced himself from the claims. In a Facebook post, Ben emphasized that while they share a last name, their views differ significantly.
“Iisa ang aming apelyido, TULFO! Iisang dugo ang dumadaloy sa aming mga ugat. Subalit, magkakaiba ang aming pananampalataya, prinsipyo, paninindigan at pananaw. Ako si BEN, kilalang si BITAG! Sawa na ako sa pananahimik,” Ben said.
He added, “Ang kaniyang kinakalaban at mga kalaban ay sa kaniya lang. His choice, his consequence.”
Despite the backlash, Ramon Tulfo defended his statements, arguing that they are relevant due to the public positions held by Duterte and Lopez. He linked the alleged relationship to concerns about the handling of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) under Duterte’s watch.
“Kung wala sanang involved na pera ng taumbayan at di sila public officials ay wala tayong pakialam sa relasyon nina Vice President Sara at Zuleika Lopez na kanyang chief of staff sa Office of the Vice President (OVP). Kung hindi sana sila public officials ay walang pakialam ang taumbayan kung nagpupompiyangan sila,” Tulfo stated.
He added, “We live in a permissive world where a man marries another man and a woman makes love to another woman. Pero ang pinag-uusapan natin ay kung saan o paano ginastos ang confidential and intelligence fund (CIF) na inihabilin kay Sara ng taumbayan bilang vice president at noon ay education secretary.”
Vice President Duterte and Zuleika Lopez have yet to respond to the allegations.
