Palace: 'Oplan Romanov' claim not backed by Sara Duterte

Malacañang said Thursday the alleged "Operation Romanov" assassination plot against the Duterte family has yet to be substantiated by Vice President Sara Duterte and fails to justify her utterances against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said that it is Duterte who should give information about the supposed plot, which she herself floated.

"Unang-una, sino po ba ang nagbanggit ng Oplan Romanov? Hindi po ba nasa partido ng Bise Presidente? Hindi po ba siya ang dapat na magbigay ng mga ebidensiya patungkol dito at hindi ang Palasyo?" Castro said.

(First of all, who mentioned Oplan Romanov? Wasn't it in the Vice President's party? Shouldn't she be the one to provide evidence about it and not the Palace?)

"Siya po ang magbigay ng mga detalye para po magkaroon ng tamang pag-iimbestiga," she added.

(She should be the one to provide the details on this matter, so that there can be a proper investigation.)

Castro said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) gave the Vice President a chance to share knowledge on the supposed threats to her and her family's life, but she did not respond.

"Hindi po kasalanan ninuman kung hindi magkakaroon ng anumang tinatawag nating existence, 'yung sinasabing Oplan Romanov, dahil mismo ang Bise Presidente na nagsabi nito ay hindi ito napapatunayan," the Palace official said.

(It's not anyone's fault if there won't be any existence of the so-called Oplan Romanov because the Vice President herself said it can't be proven.)

"So, ano ang gagawin mo ng Ehekutibo kung wala namang maiibestigahan dahil walang anumang detalyeng ibinibigay ang nag-aakusa patungkol sa Oplan Romanov."

(So, what will the Executive do if there is nothing to investigate because the accuser is not giving any details regarding Oplan Romanov.)

NBI Senior Agent Mark Calilung, a witness for the House prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Duterte, said Wednesday that Duterte and one of her allies, identified as Princess Maui, failed to appear before the NBI to substantiate their claims of an alleged plot to kill the Vice President and her family.

Calilung made the statement in response to a question from senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano on whether Princess Maui complied with the NBI's invitation to provide details about the alleged assassination plot against the Duterte family, allegedly called "Operation Romanov."

During the trial, defense counsel Mark Vinluan maintained that the alleged plot is "real," arguing that it was the reason Duterte made the statements during a November 2024 press conference in which she said she had instructed someone to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, if she herself were assassinated.

"When VP Sara uttered those words, she was not responding as Sara Duterte the Vice President, but as Sara Duterte the wife, mother, daughter, and sister who only sought to protect her own life and the lives of her family members," Vinluan said.

Malacañang, for its part, slammed such a justification for the supposed threats against the President.

"Hindi natin maiwawaksi ang pagiging Bise Presidente niya at sa pagiging nanay niya. Ang pagbabanta ay pagbabanta. Sinuman ka man—, nagbanta ka sa buhay ng Pangulo, kahit ikaw ay isang nanay, ikaw ay isang Bise Presidente, walang pagkakaiba 'yun. Nagbanta ka pa rin sa buhay ng Pangulo," Castro said.

(We cannot separate her role as Vice President and as a mother. A threat is a threat. Whoever you are—, if you threaten the President's life, even if you are a mother or a Vice President—, it makes no difference. You still threatened the President's life.)

Not a fantasy

Meanwhile, Castro also responded to the statement of former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo that Duterte's controversial utterances were hypothetical and conditional.

"Ang pagbibigay po ng salita na kumausap na siya ng tao para patayin ang Pangulo, ang Unang Ginang at ang dating House Speaker, hindi po ito hypothetical. Nakita po ito. Hindi po ito gawa-gawang isip, hindi po ito pantasya. Sinabi po ito at mismo si Bise Presidente ay hindi pinapasinungalingan ang kanyang mga sinabi, ang kanyang pagbabanta sa buhay ng Pangulo," she said.

(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 and the Vice President did not even deny it, her threat against the President's life.)

"So wala tayong pag-uusapan tungkol sa hypothetical. Hindi po 'yan hypothetical dahil mismo si Vice Presidente ang nagsabing, 'No joke, no joke,'" she added.

(So, we are not discussing a hypothetical scenario. It is not hypothetical because the Vice President herself said, 'No joke, no joke.')

Duterte's "kill" remark was made in a virtual media conference in November 2024—a video which has been presented by the prosecution as evidence in the 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. — VDV, GMA News