Ben Tulfo keeps up the good fight

His surname alone precedes him. Like the rest of his hard-hitting brothers, Ben Tulfo eats death threats for breakfast. The only difference is, he says,his brothers – Raffy and Erwin – are into more charity-oriented things. Ben, as he himself admits, blazed the trail as the first broadcaster in the family.

He dishes out hard-edged investigative journalism via Bitag, a news and public service program which starts clashing head-on with GMA 7’s Imbestigador starting tonight at 7 via its new station, IBC 13. "It’s a dream come true, says the no-nonsense host of the more-than-a- year old show, which used to air on ABC 5. "We had long wanted to get in the highly-competitive Saturday primetime slot. We want viewers to compare,we beg them to compare," he adds.

Even when it was still in the 5:30 to 6 p.m. timeslot, Bitag was already attracting a steady following. The staff and crew – who receive their share of death threats – tote surveillance equipment like hidden cameras and go undercover, posing as syndicate members or even a harmless –looking balut vendor to bust a crime gang.

As host of the show and the most visible in the group, Ben would let his trained staff act on tips from just anybody –phone callers, texters, etc. The farthest they’ve been so far is Mindoro. Years of being an investigative journalist have given Ben, a Pilipino Star Ngayon columnist and DZME commentator at DZME, a nose for leads that are genuine and therefore worth a follow-up. He can tell – based on facts presented to him – whether a tip will lead somewhere or is just a tall tale that deserves to be tossed away.

Once Ben and his group get the story, the production staff and crew start planning how they will air it – docu-style. "It’s better that way – raw, factual, as real as it gets," Ben asserts. Figures why, unlike other programs of its kind, Bitag does not recreate a crime scene by dramatizing it. Actual footages of what’s happening are better, more convincing. The nature of his work keeps Ben on his toes where safety is concerned. "I’m prepared for any eventuality –including an ambush," Ben reveals. A martial arts practitioner and trained shooter, he also keeps a licensed gun, just in case.

Adventure – the name of the game – can be addicting. And Ben is no exception. He’s sensible enough to know though, that adventure has its risks, and to be forearmed is to be forewarned. Besides, Ben and his team go about their work without the help of the cops or law enforcement agencies. Thus, the risk is greater, the adrenaline surge higher. The public service potential is much bigger, too. Imagine stopping crime syndicates in their tracks by exposing their long-running modus operandi before millions of televiewers. At a time when peace and order could just be what the doctor ordered for a more stable country, nothing is more reassuring.