House Prosecution Legal Spokesperson Atty. Jay Tolosa said the presentation of photocopies of documents is allowed under the Rules of Evidence, which recognize duplicates as originals provided there is no genuine issue regarding their authenticity, during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

During a press conference on Wednesday, House prosecution legal spokesperson Atty. Jay Tolosa explained that the “original document rule” allows duplicates, including photocopies, to be admitted as evidence when the authenticity of the documents is not being challenged.

“Under the new rules on evidence, malinaw ho ‘yan, that there’s a rule that we call the original document rule,” Tolosa said.

He added, “Under the original document rule, duplicates such as photocopies are considered as originals, provided that there’s no genuine issue regarding their authenticity."

Tolosa said the prosecution’s use of photocopied documents during the trial was based on the evidentiary rule that does not require the presentation of the original document in certain circumstances.

The statement came after Atty. Amando Ligutan, a lawyer involved in the proceedings, said during Tuesday’s hearing, July 7, that photocopied files presented by a witness are considered original copies under the current rules.

“Photocopy now is considered original,” Ligutan said.

The clarification followed a legal exchange between the prosecution and defense panels during the impeachment trial on Tuesday, over the presentation of documents and digital evidence related to Vice President Duterte’s 2024 remarks in which she allegedly threatened to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed.

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Senior Agent John Mark Calilung testified on the procedures used to preserve and verify a video recording of Duterte’s November 2024 Zoom press conference, where she allegedly said she had hired an assassin to target the President and his family.