Claire Castro denies being voice in viral audio clip played in Senate

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro on Wednesday denied claims by Senator Robin Padilla linking her to the controversial voice clip played during the Senate deliberations on the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) budget.

“For the satisfaction of Senator Robin Padilla: I am not the one in the video clip. To our knowledge, this video has already surfaced and shows a different face being mentioned as ‘madam’,” Castro said.

She pointed out that mainstream media did not give weight to the audio clip because its source was unverified.

“I deny that the person, or any of the two there, that it's I was talking to a certain vlogger,” she added.

Padilla played an audio clip during the deliberations supposedly capturing a conversation between two women—one referred to as “madam”—discussing the use of trolls for a campaign strategy.

Senator Loren Legarda, sponsor of the PCO budget, questioned the authenticity of the recording, while Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III suggested that the National Bureau of Investigation evaluate the audio file.

Castro, in turn, urged Padilla to reveal the origin of the clip.

“Where did he get this, what source did it come from? As far as we know, it's not from the mainstream. If it came from trolls, it's his obligation to say where the source is,” she said.

Padilla has been pushing a Senate bill to combat troll farms. Castro called the initiative “good intention” but emphasized that the senator must also ensure he is not misled by online misinformation.

“His proposed law is good – a troll farm for fake news. I hope Senator Robin will also be a model, a model who will not be used or victimized by troll farms that spread fake news,” she said.

She also echoed Legarda’s caution during the hearing: “[As] Senator Loren said yesterday, ‘you should know your source first’,” Castro added.