Electronic documents

The picture images of the ballots are electronic documents that are regarded nas the equivalents of the
original official ballots themselves (maliksi vs Commission on elections

Despite the equal probative weight accorded to the official ballots and the printouts of their picture
images, the rules for the revision of ballots adopted for their respective proceedings still consider the
offocail ballots to be the primary or best evidence of the voters will.

A facsimile is not a genuine and authentic pleading; It is, at best , an exact copy preserving all the marks
of an original (torres vs Philippine amusement and gaming Corp. . 661 scra 621

A facsimile transmission is not considered as an electronic evidence under the electronic commerce act:
the terms electronic data message and electronic documents as defined under the electronic
commerce act of 2000, do not include a facsimile transmission.

In Dantes vs Maghinang Jr. 395 SCRA v599

A secondary evidence is admissible only upon compliance with rule 130 sec. 5 which states that: when
the original has been lost or destroyed, or cannot be produced in court, the offeror, upon proof of its
execution, or existence and the cause of its unavailability without bad faith on his part, may prove its
contents by a copy, or by a recital of its contents in some authentic documents, or by the testimony of
witnesses in the order stated.

Heirs of Margarita Prodon vs Heir of Maximo Alvarez and clave 704 SCRA 465

Best evidence stipulates that in proving the terms of a written document the original of the documents
must be produced in court.