Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman Erwin Tulfo met with Ukraine’s first Resident Ambassador to the Philippines Yuliia Fediv yesterday at the Senate.
They discussed, among others, the current situation of Raymon Santos Gumangan, a prisoner of war (POW) in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Senator Tulfo appealed to Ambassador Fediv so Gumangan can reach out to his family left in the Philippines.
While the Ukrainian envoy agreed to facilitate the communication of Gumangan with his family, she noted his release may not be swiftly done due to lack of special trade agreement for such cases between Ukraine and the Philippines.
Senator Tulfo committed to coordinate with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to finalize joint agreements on cases such as Gumangan’s and other Filipinos in conflict zones.
Expressing his concern over Filipinos working in vessels who might be a military target, the senator said, “I will ensure that the communication lines between the Philippines and Ukraine remain open so we will be updated about the safety of Filipinos in Ukraine.”
Gumangan, a native of Alcala, Pangasinan, was reportedly recruited for Russian logistics through an online job-hunting platform and later found himself in the military. He was captured by Ukrainian forces last September 2025.
Since the Ukrainian-Russo war started in 2022, the DFA suspended sending Filipinos to Ukraine through an Alert Level 4.
Referring to a joint labor agreement between Ukraine and the Philippines that is now underway, Ambassador Fediv said, “It translates to more job for our workers, its like we are helping you and you are helping us.”
Since his appointment as Senate Foreign Relations Chairman, Tulfo has been meeting diplomats and coordinating with the DFA for concerns on international relations and Filipinos overseas.
