Senator Robin Padilla lashed out at critics who questioned his insistence that the original Zoom recording of Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged grave threats should have been presented during the impeachment trial.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Padilla defended his position that the recording generated through Zoom’s built-in recording feature should be considered the original file, while copies obtained from livestreams or other online sources are only duplicates that may be subject to alteration.
"Ibang klase talaga ang mga bayaran kahit alam nila ang katotohanan ay ililigaw ninyo ang mga tao," Padilla wrote.
He claimed that Zoom can record conversations conducted through the platform, whether private or live, and that the recording saved by the meeting host constitutes the original copy.
"Lahat ng kumopya dyan sa live feed maging ano man 'yan galing sa internet, duplicate na 'yan, anything recorded as duplicate can be manipulated," he said.
Padilla maintained that investigators should always seek the original recording from the creator or host of the meeting.
"Trabaho ng investigator hanapin ang raw o ang originally recorded ng creator ng meeting o ng interview… 'Yun ang laging basehan, hindi ang duplicate file," he said.
The senator also defended his qualifications to comment on media and recordings, citing his four decades of experience in the film and television industry.
"Ako ay 40 years na sa paggawa ng pelikula at telebisyon. Ang certification ko sa mass media ay experience," Padilla said.
"'Wag ako ang kuwestiyunin niyo sa mass media. Kuwestiyonin niyo ang bagong graduate, hindi ang matanda na sa mass media. Goodness… You should be teaching the Filipino people of facts, not misguiding our people," he added.
Padilla likewise urged media practitioners and self-described experts to fulfill their responsibility to provide the public with accurate information.
"You call yourselves experts. Kailan ba kayo pinanganak sa industriya ng media? At mga kasama ko na nasa media. Hindi naman lahat, asan naman ang inyong duty sa taongbayan para makapagturo ng tama para hindi makapagligaw, passion and love for the job should never be compromised," he said.
Padilla issued the statement after drawing criticism for repeatedly asking National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung during the impeachment proceedings whether investigators had obtained an affidavit from the individual who recorded Duterte's Zoom meeting, in which the vice president allegedly said she had contracted an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
