THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) believed that the alleged “Operation Romanov” was directed against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the First Family, and not against Vice President Sara Duterte and her family.
During the fifth day of Duterte's impeachment trial on Tuesday, July 14, NBI Bangsamoro Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc, former chief of the NBI Cybercrime Division, said investigators found no evidence validating claims that the supposed operation targeted the Dutertes.
Lotoc testified during the trial on the NBI’s investigation that led to its recommendation to file complaints for grave threats and inciting to sedition against Duterte.
The defense panel earlier cited Operation Romanov as the context behind Duterte's controversial November 2024 remarks that she had instructed someone to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were assassinated.
Duterte made the statement in response to a question by a certain Princess Maui about the supposed Operation Romanov against the Duterte family.
Under questioning by Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo, Lotoc said the NBI attempted to verify claims made by vlogger Princess Maui but she refused to heed the agency’s invitation.
"We will validate the information kaso hindi humarap si Princess Maui na siyang nagtanong sa presscon about the Operation Romanov," Lotoc said.
Without testimony from the vlogger, the NBI turned to open-source intelligence to determine where references to "Romanov" first surfaced.
Investigators traced the earliest public mention to Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte during a Maisug Rally held in January 2024.
Lotoc recalled that the bureau became puzzled after comparing Baste Duterte's speech with Princess Maui's question to the Vice President months later.
"So nakita namin, teka muna, parang baligtad ata ang sitwasyon. Kung kay Mayor Baste nagsimula ang Romanov, bakit ito tinatanong dito ni Princess Maui sa Vice President? It doesn't make sense,” he said.
Because of that, the NBI classified the supposed information regarding an Operation Romanov against Duterte as “unvalidated.”
When Tulfo asked whether Princess Maui's statements were reliable, Lotoc replied that, based on the bureau's investigation, they were not.
Tulfo then asked directly whether the bureau concluded that the alleged Romanov threat was directed at the First Family rather than the Dutertes to which Lotoc responded in the affirmative.
Senator-judge Panfilo Lacson said Lotoc's testimony contradicted his previous understanding of the issue.
"Until today, I thought Operation Romanov was against Sara Duterte, pero against the First Family pala?" Lacson remarked.
Responding, Lotoc said the context uncovered by investigators pointed in that direction.
"Kasi unang-una, ang context ng Operation Romanov against the First Family. It's definitely against the President and the First Family. Kaya nagtaka kami bakit against the VP. Hindi naman sila First Family. Kaya we tried to invite Princess Maui for validation," he said.
Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano, however, cautioned against drawing definitive conclusions from the available evidence.
He offered a different reading of Mayor Baste Duterte's remarks, saying the reference to the Romanovs may have been historical rather than a direct threat.
According to Cayetano, Mayor Duterte appeared to compare the 1986 ouster of the Marcos family to the fate of Russia's Romanov dynasty, whose members were executed during the Russian Revolution.
"The Romanovs were eliminated so they could not return, while the Marcoses were exiled to Hawaii and eventually returned to power," Cayetano noted.
He said that if Mayor Duterte had truly intended his remarks as a threat against the Marcos family, authorities would likely have filed charges against him.
"I don't think we should draw a conclusion here that Mayor Baste was threatening the First Family," Cayetano said.
The senator also noted that the defense had distinguished between the historical reference to "Romanov" and the alleged "Operation Romanov," suggesting they may not necessarily refer to the same thing.
"For all we know, Mayor Baste may have heard they would be 'Romanov-ed' and simply mentioned it in return. We don't know. So let's just be circumspect and careful from making conclusions," he said. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)