FILE PHOTO: Former Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo and her brothers, Ben and Erwin, during a hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee. INQUIRER/MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANILA, Philippines — Caridad Teshiba Tulfo, the mother of the Tulfo brothers, passed away on Tuesday, according to her son ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo. She was 97.
“We, the children of Caridad Teshiba Tulfo, with heavy hearts wish to inform everyone that our beloved mother has joined our Creator today, August 27, 2024, due to natural causes,” Rep. Tulfo’s Facebook post reads.
“Mommy Caring is survived by her children, Ramon Jr., Tuchi, Wanda, Ben, Bong, Joseph, Raffy, Erwin, and Edel, with her daughters and sons-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren,” he added.
In a separate post, the lawmaker penned a goodbye message, thanking his mom for her sacrifices and the legacy she left to their family.
“Bye Mom … Thank you for bringing us into this world. We will never forget your love and sacrifices for us,” Rep. Tulfo said.
“Thank you for teaching us how to help the needy and fight for the helpless. Thank you so much, Mom. We love you. Till we meet again,” he added.
According to Rep. Tulfo, his mother’s body will be laid in state at the Sanctuarium in Quezon City starting Wednesday, August 28 at 6 p.m.
Caridad will be laid to rest at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig on Sunday, September 1, at 11 a.m.
Based on a feature by Inquirer, Caridad had been through a lot raising her 10 children all by herself — seven of them boys. Caridad was a half-Japanese who also became a prisoner of war during World War II.
READ: Caridad Tulfo–how she brought up the (in)famous brothers
Her father was a Japanese businessman who owned a store. She would get supplies like pencils, papers, and even slippers from their store and give them to her less fortunate classmates.
Caridad also grew up with nuns and priests from her mother’s side and visited the church daily until she reached the age of 80 as her mobility became limited due to old age. After that, she spent most of her time in her prayer room.
In an excerpt of Caridad’s feature story, Senator Raffy Tulfo described her as “the greatest mom on earth as far as I’m concerned.”
“She’s very thoughtful and lovable. She calls us whenever she thinks medyo napapariwara kami sa mga sinasabi namin sa radyo or TV. She gives us advice, and more often than not I listen,” he added.