Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Wednesday denied being the woman heard in the audio recording presented by Senator Robin Padilla during the Senate hearing on the PCO’s proposed 2026 budget.
“For the satisfaction of Senator Robin Padilla: Hindi po ako ang nasa video clip. Dahil sa ating pagkakaalam, itong video na ito ay lumabas na noon pa at ibang mukha ang ipinapakitang binabanggit na madam,” Castro said.
She added: “So, I deny that the person, or kung sinuman sa dalawa doon, na it’s I was talking a certain vlogger.”
Castro urged Padilla to focus on his proposed measure against fake news operations.
“Maganda ang kaniyang adhikain, maganda ang kaniyang pinapanukalang batas – troll farm for fake news,” she said.
She continued: “Sana maging modelo rin po si Senator Robin, modelo na hindi magpapagamit o magpapabiktima sa troll farm na nagpapakalat ng fake news.”
During the hearing, Padilla’s colleagues—including Senate President Tito Sotto—advised him to submit the recording to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for authentication, noting it may have been generated using artificial intelligence.
When asked if she would take legal action, Castro pointed out that the source of the clip remains unknown.
“Mas maganda po itanong ninyo po sana kay Senator Robin, saan niya po ba nakuha ito, anong source ito galing? Sa ating pagkakaalam, hindi ito galing sa mainstream. Kung galing ito sa mga troll, obligasyon niya pong magsabi kung saan iyong source,” she said.