FACT CHECK: Photocopied peso bills not legal tender, can’t be used for transactions

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Unauthorized reproduction of banknotes is prohibited by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; the viral posts take a statement by private prosecutor Amando Ligutan out of context

Claim: Following House private prosecutor Amando Ligutan’s statement that a “photocopy now is considered an original,” photocopied peso bills can be used for transactions. 

Rating: MISSING CONTEXT

Why we fact-checked this: The claim can be found in a number of posts circulating on Facebook.

One of the posts was made on July 7 by a Facebook user named Jack Barry Antonio Badz, posted in a dedicated group for Senator Rodante Marcoleta. The post has gained more than 3,700 reactions, 800 comments and 300 shares as of writing.

In the post, the user mentioned a statement by Ligutan during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, in which he said a “photocopy now is considered an original.” Applying this logic, the Facebook user said that photocopied banknotes can be used for transactions. 

“Fake money can be [used]. Photocopy is considered original,” the post reads.

Comments from social media users criticized Ligutan, calling him a “law bender” and insisting that cases should be filed against him for making this statement.

The facts: While Ligutan did make the statement, he was referring to the use of photocopies as admissible evidence in court. The viral posts take his statement out of context.

During the second day of Duterte’s impeachment trial, the prosecution and the defense clashed on the use of printouts to prove the authenticity of the Vice President’s November 2024 online press conference where she allegedly threatened the President and his relatives.

National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung said he filed a preservation request with Meta, Facebook’s parent company, and presented an affidavit with printed screenshots of the request.

Duterte’s defense lawyer Carlo Narvasa objected to the submission of the photocopied documents, to which Ligutan cited a 2025 ruling made by the Supreme Court (SC), citing Rule 130, Section 4(c) of the 2019 Revised Rules on Evidence, that photocopies of both paper and electronic documents are admissible as evidence.

“A photocopy is considered a duplicate as defined under the Revised Rules on Evidence,” the SC said. (WATCH: Order in the Court: Photocopies may be used as evidence)

However, the High Court noted that a duplicate is admissible as the original if there are no genuine questions about the original’s authenticity, or if it would be considered unjust or inequitable to use the duplicate.

Not legal tender: Photocopied banknotes are not considered legal tender, and reproduction of banknotes without permission is punishable under the law, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). 

As mentioned in BSP Circular No. 829, s. 2014, only the BSP or its duly authorized representative is allowed to produce and disseminate legal tender in the country. Those who violate the order may be subject to imprisonment of not less than five years, but not more than 10 years. – Lourence Angelo Marcellana/Rappler.com

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