On June 25, 2025, IJM Philippines launched the Videotaped In-Depth Disclosure Interview (VIDI) Orientation Video at Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City, gathering partners and key stakeholders from law enforcement, prosecution, social work, as well as representatives from relevant national agencies, including the National Coordination Center Against Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (NCC-OSAEC-CSAEM), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The VIDI Orientation Video is a resource to equip caseworkers and mainstream the use of VIDI or Video In-Depth Disclosure Interviews in prosecuting OSAEC cases.

Guest speakers from the multi-disciplinary world of anti-OSAEC work each shared powerful stories and personal insights. Their experiences highlighted how transformative VIDI has been in real-world casework.

L-R: PCPL Queen Denise Cuevas, PNP-WCPC; Prosecution Attorney Princess Roxanne Sucor of the Office of the City Prosecutor, Taguig City; Social Worker Mr. Limwin Lujera receiving a Certificate of Appreciation from IJM’s Atty. Nelisa Guevara-Garcia.

Assistant Secretary Michelle Anne Lapuz of the DOJ welcomed guests with an inspiring speech focused on empathy for child survivors and the spirit behind VIDI. Mr. Limwin Lujera, a social worker from the City Social Welfare and Development Office of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan; Prosecution Attorney Princess Roxanne Sucor of the Office of the City Prosecutor, Taguig City; and PCPL Queen Denise Cuevas, an investigator from the Philippine National Police - Women and Children Protection Center shared about their first-hand experiences with using VIDIs, and how they see this legal tool work as a child-protective strategy. IJM’s Atty. Nelisa Guevara-Garcia, Director of National Prosecution Development, gave the closing remarks , encouraging the participants to continue advocating for and using VIDIs, especially after hearing the testimonials of frontliners who have seen it work on the ground.

The VIDI Orientation video is available for download at https://ijm.org.ph/vidi-orientation .

What is VIDI?

VIDI or Videotaped-In-depth-Disclosure Interviews are recordings of a child survivor's testimony in a manner that is admissible in court as evidence, in lieu of the survivor appearing in court.

IJM’s VIDI Framework explains that “VIDI is a prosecution strategy amply provided for in the law. It finds basis in the Rule on Examination of a Child Witness [Administrative Matter (A.M.) No. 00-4-07-SC]. It is further strengthened by the recent passage of the Republic Act (R.A.) No. 11930 [otherwise known as the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM)], R.A. No. 9208, as amended by R.A. No. 10364 and R.A. No. 11862 [otherwise known as the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022]. Therefore, there is nothing preventing caseworkers from utilizing this strategy in investigating and prosecuting OSEC cases.”

The use of VIDI is a key element in child- protective prosecution. Ever since IJM began its work in the Philippines in the early 2000s protecting minors from commercial abuse and now online sexual abuse, child- protective prosecution has been a cornerstone of our work.

VIDI has the potential to shield children from having to re-tell their story multiple times to various caseworkers – from social workers, to police officers to prosecutors and judges. With the recorded testimony, once accepted by the court, children will not have to take the witness stand and face their perpetrators. This shields children from repeated traumatization.

VIDI Orientation Video

IJM launched the latest version of the VIDI framework in May 2024 and proceeded to produce a video version to supplement the framework in a format that is accessible, can be used to supplement training, and as a useful reference and resource for caseworkers.

At the launch event, the VIDI Orientation video was shown in full, interspersed with the various messages from each guest speaker. The 35- minute long VIDI orientation video is instructive and informational, including detailed instructions, checklists, recommendations, and references to relevant laws and regulations, such as the Rules on Examination of a Child Witness (RECW). The VIDI Orientation Video was created specifically for caseworkers including prosecutors, social workers, and law enforcement officers.

VIDI in the Real World

“Retraumatization is a devastating reality in the traditional prosecution process,.” Mr. Limwin Lujera said, addressing the audience.

He shed tears as he recounted an experience with a child survivor. “One of the victims asked me, "Kuya, sino ang magtatanong pa sa amin, madami pa ba sila. Nakakapagod na ang paulit-ulit na tanong. Natatakot na kami." “Kuya, who else will ask us questions? Are there still many of them? We're tired of the repeated questions. We're already scared." This reflects the reality of almost every child who undergoes the legal process.

Kuya, who else will ask us questions? Are there still many of them? We're tired of the repeated questions. We're already scared.

PCPL Queen Denise Cuevas shared about an 11-year- old survivor she calls “Maria” (not her real name), who “was rescued from online sexual exploitation orchestrated by someone who was supposed to love and protect her.”

“When we first met Maria, she was afraid to speak…if she had to recount her ordeal again and again, in courtrooms, in police stations, before strangers…we might have inflicted more wounds than we hoped to heal. But this time we had VIDI…VIDI gave her “control over her voice…a trained team carefully guided her through her disclosure. Once. Just once.”

A trained team carefully guided her through her disclosure. Once. Just once.

“It is not only the child who benefits from VIDI,” PCPL Cuevas shared. “VIDI strengthens the work of law enforcers by capturing high-quality, properly conducted and legally admissible interviews. VIDI preserves crucial evidence early in the investigation…it enables police officers to act with both efficiency and compassion.”

VIDI enables police officers to act with both efficiency and compassion.

The Challenges Behind Implementing VIDI

“Unfortunately, the truth is many in law enforcement still don't know VIDI exists or how to use it effectively,” Pros. Princess Roxanne Sucor said.

“I once shared the common belief that live testimony of the child was a gold standard, and that digital evidence is unreliable. However, my perspective changed when I saw the cost. Watching the children break down in strength, forced to confront their abusers, changed me.”

But the road to successful VIDI implementation had its bumps and barriers: “I have a case before where I feel that the VIDI ‘failed,’” she said, “because there was no proper disclosure; critical details of the elements of the crime were missing… I had no choice but to subject the child survivor to the stand, knowing the toll it would take on him.”

“This experience taught me two critical lessons: first, that our skepticism about digital evidence often stems from improper execution and not the method itself. Second, that with proper protocols, VIDI can be as reliable as any evidence we admit in court.”

Unfortunately, the truth is many in law enforcement still don't know VIDI exists or how to use it effectively.

After the entire VIDI Orientation Video series was shown, guests were invited to share their thoughts. A Fiscal from Quezon City raised the issue that in a case she handled, after utilizing VIDI, the children were still required to appear in court. As the tool is not yet mainstreamed, problems can arise when for example the prosecutor utilizes VIDI but the judge is not yet familiar with it.

IJM’s Atty. Raena Pabiona explained that VIDI is still in the process of being introduced across the justice system. While some prosecutors are already using it, many others—including judges—are not yet familiar with the tool. Efforts are ongoing to advocate for its broader adoption, including collaboration with the Department of Justice to issue a circular that will guide prosecutors, and we may hear from the Supreme Court on further developments to help further the use of VIDIs and similar recorded interviews in court, as they also recognize this challenge. Overall, the system is still in transition, and work continues to fully integrate VIDI into legal processes.

Advocating for Culture Change

Asec. Michelle Anne S. Lapuz, Assistant Secretary, Department of Justice emphasized the value of empathy, and that we need to “place ourselves in the shoes of the children. We imagine their suffering. Fear, confusion, distress. We ask ourselves “What do we do to prevent further harm?”

“We want this tool to be a best practice or default…We’re not just advocating for the use of a tool,” she said. “We are advocating for culture change.”

We’re not just advocating for the use of a tool. We are advocating for culture change.

A Survivor Leader's Perspective

The heart behind this prosecution strategy is to protect the best interests of the child. Theia, Survivor Leader and Advocate; Member, Philippine Survivor Network, was invited to shared her own story and insights towards this legal tool.

A survivor of violence, Theia recounted that “filing the case was really a struggle. I had to go back and forth to the police station and DSWD to recount my story over and over again, which was terribly stressful…The space in which the social worker interviewed me and my mom was not private…People could really hear what I was sharing with them; I almost gave up filing the legal case.”

The criminal justice system has come a long way since that time. “Reflecting on my experience with the justice system 14 years ago, I have observed significant changes in how survivors are treated…I interacted with survivors and they shared that they were no longer required to appear in court for multiple interviews, thanks to the implementation of the VIDI which is now accepted in court and there are judges and prosecutors championing this.”

Theia shared that the criminal justice system is now “more trauma- informed; sensitive during rescue operations, investigations, and interviews with survivors, and even in legal process.”

The criminal justice system is now “more trauma informed; sensitive during rescue operations, investigations, and interviews with survivors, and even in legal process” compared to 14 years ago.

Theia participated in a workshop for drafting victim-sensitive court guidelines. “I advocated for the use of VIDI… to promote trauma-informed practices among law enforcement and aftercare providers and even the prosecution.”

The Power of VIDI

VIDI is a powerful tool to be used and to be shared for adoption throughout our criminal justice system, and there is a long way to go. IJM’s goal is for VIDI to be mainstreamed, and to become the norm in casework.

IJM’s Atty. Nelisa Guevara-Garcia, Director of National Prosecution Development, also one of the main narrators and trainers in the VIDI Orientation video, invited the audience to “reflect not just on the tools and techniques we have explored but on the lives behind them. Each child survivor we’ve encountered carries a story that deserves to be heard with compassion, protected with care, and honored with dignity.”

“With VIDI we offer them a safe space, a trauma-informed setting … Whether you’re a casework a prosecutor a law enforcer or a partner in the fight against OSAEC you now carry the responsibility and the privilege of using VIDI.”

… Whether you are a caseworker, a prosecutor a law enforcer or a partner in the fight against OSAEC, you now carry the responsibility and the privilege of using VIDI.

More than a casework tool, it is a means to “survivor-centered justice… A commitment to protecting the most vulnerable, a commitment to doing better,” Atty. Guevara-Garcia said. “Let us mainstream VIDI as a standard of best practice and let us never forget that behind every disclosure is a child who needs us… to walk with them towards healing and justice.”

Download your copy of the VIDI Orientation video at https://ijm.org.ph/vidi-orientation or send a message to [email protected] to request for the videos on a physical drive.