Manila, Feb. 12 -- Senator Erwin Tulfo on Thursday pushed for a formal bilateral framework between the Philippines and Ukraine, citing gaps in existing agreements that complicate efforts to address cases involving Filipinos caught in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

This came after Tulfo, chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, met with Ukraine's first resident ambassador to the Philippines, Yuliia Fediv, to discuss the situation of Raymon Santos Gumangan, a Filipino currently held as a prisoner of war (POW) after being captured by Ukrainian forces in September 2025.

He said the case highlights the absence of a structured mechanism governing humanitarian coordination and legal processes between the two countries.

"I will ens...