Duterte appoints columnist Mon Tulfo as special envoy to China

President Rodrigo Duterte has named radio broadcaster and newspaper columnist Ramon Tulfo as his special envoy to China, an appointment the media personality recently said he broached to the chief executive himself.

Tulfo will serve as the President’s special envoy for public diplomacy for a six-month term, according to an appointment paper signed by Duterte on October 23 but released by Malacañang on Thursday.

Apart from Tulfo, the President also appointed Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza as special envoy to the European Union and officials to the Presidential Communications Operations Office, Office of the Solicitor General, Departments of Tourism, Trade and Industry, Transportation, National Defense and Budget and Management.

Tulfo, in a newspaper column published on October 6, said instead of running for senator in the 2019 elections, he proposed to the President the idea of becoming a special envoy to China, “which he approved.”

“As special envoy to China, which pays only P1 per year, I could retain my public service program—Isumbong mo kay Tulfo—on dzRP, my bread and butter. Helping people is my passion,” said Tulfo, a brother of former Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, who resigned last May over conflict of interest allegations.

Tulfo said as special envoy, he plans to bring in Chinese investors on agriculture and fisheries as he recalled his conversations with Chinese government officials and businessmen in his visits to China.

“I found that China is interested in contract farming—leasing idle agricultural lands and fishponds,” he said.

“This means millions of jobs for our rural folk and the transfer of agricultural and aquatic technology. I could facilitate applications and issuance of permits to Chinese investors.”

He also said he could do back channel efforts for the Philippines in the event of diplomatic tussle with China.

The Philippines and China repeatedly touted improved relations under Duterte who temporarily set aside the arbitral ruling that invalidated Beijing's excessive claims in the South China Sea in order to forge stronger trade and economic ties with the Asian power.

Duterte vowed to raise the ruling at the proper time during his presidency. —KBK, GMA News