Robin Padilla Misleads on Zoom 'Raw Files' in Duterte Trial

Philippine Senator Robin Padilla has spread misleading information on Facebook regarding the definition of 'original' Zoom recordings. The senator claimed that only a recording by the Zoom host is 'original,' and any other copy cannot be used for authentication. This contradicts Zoom's own documentation, the Supreme Court's rules on evidence, and existing jurisprudence. Padilla's post on July 9 came a day after he and other senator-judges questioned a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. The questioning concerned the recording of Duterte's online press conference on November 23, 2024, where she allegedly threatened the lives of the president, the first lady, and the former House speaker. Padilla, citing his 40 years in film and television, also called critics "bayaran" (paid hacks). However, Padilla's statements about Zoom's features were only partially accurate and omitted how digital evidence is actually verified and treated under Philippine law. Zoom allows not only the host but also participants to record meetings, depending on account settings. Furthermore, co-hosts can also start and stop recordings. Zoom meetings can also be livestreamed directly to platforms like Facebook and YouTube, which is how Duterte's press conference was broadcast live on the Facebook page of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. Under the 2019 Revised Rules on Evidence in the Philippines, a 'duplicate' is admissible to the same extent as the original unless there is a genuine question about the original's authenticity or it would be unfair to use the duplicate. The Supreme Court has also affirmed in a February 2025 ruling that duplicates of original documents, whether in paper or electronic form, can be admitted as evidence, reflecting modern document usage. Moreover, the verification of Duterte's livestreamed video was not a simple "copy from the internet." The NBI requested Meta, Facebook's parent company, to preserve the livestream. The agent then screen-recorded the livestream, compared his output with the video on Roque's Facebook page to ensure identical content, and generated a hash value to preserve the recording's integrity as evidence. The NBI also subpoenaed journalists who attended the press conference, obtaining sworn affidavits attesting to hearing Duterte's remarks. Padilla's pronouncements have drawn attention, including his admission of consulting Google for legal terms during the trial and his remark about graduating from the "University of Prison." The impeachment trial of the Vice President requires 16 votes for conviction, which would lead to her removal from office and a potential lifetime ban from public service. Source: Philstar Nation