Senator Robin Padilla has embraced the “University of Prison” line that drew both laughter and criticism during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, sharing an AI-generated image of himself in a graduation cap and gown standing before a mock institution bearing that name.
The image, which Padilla posted to his official Facebook page, shows the actor-turned-senator holding a diploma outside a building labeled “University of Prison” and “Dept. of Correctional Education,” with inmates in the background. In his caption, Padilla thanked whoever created the artwork, called it beautiful, and said he would have it drawn onto canvas. He wrote that he takes pride in his three years at the “University of Prison,” describing it as the true university of life—a place, he said, where one learns to atone for sin and fear God, and where every kind of criminal, from killers and snatchers to corrupt politicians, can be studied up close. The post closes with the line that graduating from such a place comes “with honors o with death.”
The image followed remarks Padilla made on the opening day of the impeachment trial on July 6. Explaining his vote against Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s election as presiding officer of the Senate impeachment court, Padilla quipped that he had not graduated from UP or Ateneo but had studied criminology at “UP”—clarifying moments later that he meant the “University of Prison.” According to Manila Bulletin, he also acknowledged consulting Google to translate the legal terminology involved before casting his vote. Escudero was ultimately elected presiding officer on a 12-8 vote.
The courtroom remark referenced Padilla’s own past. The senator was convicted in 1994 for illegal possession of firearms and served time in prison before receiving executive clemency in 1998. Interaksyon reported that Padilla in fact holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminology from the Philippine College of Criminology, and that his admission of using a search engine drew sharp reactions online, with some users questioning why a sitting senator would rely on Google to grasp constitutional issues. Padilla later hit back at his critics in a separate Facebook post, branding them “bayaran,” or paid hacks.
