THE defense panel of Vice President Sara Duterte said it intends to present witnesses to support its claim that the so-called “Operation Romanov,” an alleged plot to eliminate Duterte and her family, existed, making it part of the evidence in the ongoing impeachment trial.
During the resumption of the impeachment proceedings on Monday, July 13, 2026, defense lawyer Mark Vinluan told the impeachment court that the defense plans to include evidence and witnesses related to the alleged operation.
“Yes, Your Honor, that will be part of our evidence in chief,” Vinluan said.
He added that the defense's decision to call witnesses would depend on how the prosecution presents its case.
“At this point, it will depend on what has been established by the prosecution. The defense reserves its right to call or not call any witness depending on the course of the trial,” said Vinluan.
The existence of “Operation Romanov” has been central to the defense's explanation for Duterte's controversial remarks during an online press conference in November 2024, when she said she had instructed someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez should she herself be assassinated.
According to the defense, Duterte's statements were made amid what it described as a credible threat against her and the Duterte family through an alleged operation codenamed “Operation Romanov.”
The name “Romanov” is believed to refer to Russia's Romanov royal family, whose members were executed together in 1918.
Meanwhile, testimony presented during the impeachment proceedings showed that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) attempted to look into the alleged threats against Duterte but was unable to pursue the investigation because the Vice President did not cooperate.
Jeremy Lotoc, an NBI regional director, testified that the bureau formally initiated an investigation and invited Duterte twice to provide information that could help establish leads.
"We started the probe on the VP's life. We invited her twice but to no avail. She also did not send a representative. We wanted to get some lead sana for our investigation," Lotoc told the impeachment court.
Asked about the outcome of the probe, Lotoc said the investigation failed to gain traction because the NBI lacked information from Duterte herself.
“The fact that we issued a letter informing the VP that we are investigating threats against her life, unfortunately, the VP did not cooperate, so wala kaming nakitang pagsisimulan,” he said.
Lotoc said the NBI did verify that 75 Philippine National Police personnel assigned to Duterte had been reassigned to Manila due to what authorities described as peace and security concerns.
He added that around 335 security personnel remained assigned to the Vice President.
The impeachment court is discussing Article IV of the articles of impeachment, which accuses Duterte of committing grave threats over statements she made during an online press conference on November 23, 2025 against the first couple and Romualdez. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)