MALACAÑANG on Thursday said the alleged “Operation Romanov” plot to eliminate the Duterte family has not been substantiated by Vice President Sara Duterte to justify threats she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family.
Speaking to reporters, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the alleged plot originated from the camp of Duterte, but they did not cooperate with authorities to determine whether the threat actually existed. “Is she using the alleged ‘Oplan Romanov’ to justify why she threatened the president? We cannot separate her role as vice president from her role as a mother,” Castro said during a press conference.
“A threat is a threat, regardless of who you are. If you threaten the life of the president, whether you are a mother or the vice president, it makes no difference — you still threatened the president’s life,” she added.
During the third day of Duterte’s impeachment trial on Wednesday, defense counsel Mark Vinluan cited the supposed unauthorized surveillance operations against the vice president, which allegedly exposed her family to security threats.
Vinluan argued that Duterte was not merely speaking as a public official when she made remarks threatening the lives of Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House speaker Martin Romualdez but as a mother who was seeking to protect herself and her family.
Castro said it is the responsibility of Duterte’s camp to substantiate their claims, adding that the government cannot investigate allegations without supporting evidence.
“First of all, who brought up ‘Oplan Romanov’? Wasn’t it the vice president’s camp? Shouldn’t she be the one to present evidence about it, rather than the Palace? She should provide the details so that a proper investigation can be conducted,” Castro said. “No one can be blamed if the alleged ‘Oplan Romanov’ does not come to be established as existing, because even the vice president, who raised the claim, has not provided proof to substantiate it. So what can the executive do if there is nothing to investigate because the accuser has not provided any details?” she added.
Meanwhile, Castro responded to the statement of former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo that Duterte’s controversial utterances were hypothetical and conditional.
“Her statement that she contracted someone to kill the president, the first lady and the former House speaker — this is not hypothetical. This actually happened. It is not a figment of the imagination, it is not a fantasy. She said that the vice president did not even deny it, her threat against the president’s life,” Castro said. “So, we are not discussing a hypothetical scenario. It is not hypothetical because the vice president herself said, ‘No joke, no joke,’” she added.
Duterte’s “kill” remark was made in a virtual media conference in November 2024 — a video of which has been presented by the prosecution as evidence in the vice president’s impeachment trial.
The vice president is facing impeachment charges over allegations of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery and other high crimes.
Prepare for ‘Typhoon Inday’
Meanwhile, the Senate has completed security and administrative preparations should Duterte decide to appear in her impeachment trial, Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. said on Thursday, even as the vice president’s chief of staff made a cryptic remark urging the public to “prepare for Typhoon Inday.” Bantug said the Senate remains on standby to provide security and logistical support whenever it receives notice of Duterte’s arrival, whether for the impeachment proceedings or for meetings with her legal defense team.
The assurance came after Duterte made an unannounced visit to the Senate on Tuesday afternoon to meet with her lawyers but did not appear before the impeachment court.
On Thursday morning, Duterte’s chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, arrived at the Senate. Bantug said Lopez attended a coordination meeting that focused solely on administrative matters, including staff access, security arrangements and room assignments for the defense team.
“The discussions were purely administrative and did not touch on the impeachment trial,” Bantug said.
After the meeting, Lopez declined to answer questions from reporters regarding her expected appearance before the impeachment court. Before leaving, however, she briefly told the media to “prepare for Typhoon Inday.” Lopez did not elaborate on the remark. While the country is monitoring the approaching tropical cyclone named Inday, “Inday” is also a widely known nickname of the vice president, prompting speculation about the statement’s intended meaning.
Bantug said the Senate has yet to receive any notice that Duterte will attend the next hearing of her impeachment trial scheduled for Monday.
Lopez has been subpoenaed by the Senate impeachment court following a request from the prosecution panel. She is expected to testify during the July 14 hearing on Article IV of the impeachment complaint, which alleges that Vice President Duterte made grave threats against President Marcos.
The Senate’s Protocol Office, Bantug said, remains prepared to provide the necessary assistance should the vice president decide to appear before the impeachment court.
10 of 10
The House prosecution team in the impeachment of Vice President Duterte scored itself a perfect 10 in the first week of the trial, noting that it has “achieved all its objectives.” “[From] one to 10, I would say that we are 10 over 10,” Luistro said in an interview with the ABS-CBN News Channel. The first week of the trial focused on the testimony of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Special Agent John Mark Calilung, who proved the authenticity of the Zoom press conference where Duterte made threats to President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former speaker Martin Romualdez. Luistro said the first three days were the most challenging because the prosecution had to anticipate every possible scenario while appearing before the Senate impeachment court for the first time.
She also said they were able to reach their goal on the first day to explain to the Filipino people why the impeachment trial matters beyond the parties involved.
The lawmaker also said that they were able to present Calilung as their first witness, and one of the private prosecutors, Amando Ligutan, successfully presented all the prosecution’s evidence during his direct examination. Luistro also said that she was satisfied at the third day of the trial, where the defense cross-examined Calilung. “Without dwelling into the specifics of the merits, the questions of the defense did not establish anything that will destroy the testimony that has been presented during Day 2 of the impeachment trial,” Luistro said. Defense counsel and spokesman Michael Poa also judged their team as a perfect 10 as well, citing also key objectives that were raised during the trial.
Meanwhile, other members of the House prosecution team said that there is no law recognizing “conditional threats.” which was being argued by the defense in its closing remarks.
