Let the public beware of characters impersonating the person of  Ramon Tulfo, a hard-hitting radio commentator and broadsheet columnist. This developed over the week as a Capitol functionary nearly fell to the antics of an impostor who  introduced himself as the hard-hitting PDI  columnist and radio -TV host Ramon Tulfo. Known for his column On Target, the swindle attempt came in the form of a medical mission which is one of the advocacies of the popular media personality. A phone call last Wednesday informed the office of Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim that a supposed free medical mission was  to be conducted Saturday in Bohol, courtesy of the Office of Vice President Jejomar Binay and coordinated by the Manila office of Tulfo. Lawyer Filipina Asoy-Piollo, chief of staff of the Office of the Vice Governor said the caller asked for a hotel or resort accommodation good for 35 persons while saying that airfare and accommodations were already taken-cared of.

“The caller sounds professional yet demanding but when Vice Gov. Lim asked for his contact number like a fax or e-mail address, the caller did not gave one,” Piollo said. Vice Gov Lim, in turn informed Gov. Edgar Chatto for such medical mission and taking the offer to be true, a meeting was held with Piollo and Liza Flores, event organizer of the office of the governor to prepare for the medical mission. Sikatuna town was selected as beneficiary of the medical mission which will include distribution of school supplies for Grade I-VI pupils, an operation tuli and a dental clinic. With less than a week to prepare for the mission, Piollo had second thoughts of the call if indeed it had connections with the office of VP Binay. Losing no time to verify the veracity of the offer,  a contact  in the office staff of VP Binay told Piollo “they have no coordinated medical mission organized by Ramon Tulfo”.

Getting suspicious, the vice gov’s chief of staff (Piollo) surfed the internet to contact Tulfo and her search brought her to the website of DZIQ Radyo Inquirer where she was referred to the Tulfo office. Tulfo hosts two afternoon programs on DZIQ Radyo Inquirer 990, the broadcast arm of the Inquirer media group. “Isumbong Mo Kay Tulfo” airs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday while “TNT: Target Ni Tulfo” run from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., also Monday to Friday. Last Friday, the Tulfo office told Piollo it had been confirmed that “there is no medical mission scheduled for Bohol on Saturday” as offered by the impostor. The Manila office of Tulfo also told the Vice Governor’s Office that this impostor had already victimized many local government units and politicians using the same modus operandi of offering free medical-dental mission and scholarships purportedly a project of Vice President Jejomar Binay and coordinated by the office of Tulfo. The Capitol and the Tulfo Manila office have vowed to entrap and expose this ‘impostor’ while warning also gullible victims like local government units not to fall into these juicy swindling traps.