On the third day of the impeachment trial, Vice President Sara Duterte's defense team maintained that the House prosecution panel has failed to present evidence proving Duterte hired an “assassin” to kill President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.; First Lady Liza Marcos; and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Atty. Mark Vinluan, a member of Duterte’s legal team, made the statement as the defense panel cross-examined the prosecution’s witness, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) senior agent Mark Calilung.

"The prosecution's admission before this honorable court made the respondent's position clear. The prosecution has no other competent evidence to prove that VP Sara contracted an assassin," Vinluan said.

"Ang testimony ni Calilung, gaya ng iba pang ebidensya kuno ng prosecution, ay hindi sapat para patunayan ang paratang na ito," he added.

During cross-examination, Atty. Carlo Joaquin Narvasa presented a portion of a video from a virtual press conference of the Office of the Vice President chief of staff Zuleika Lopez, arguing that Duterte's alleged grave threats were made in response to Lopez's detention.

Vinluan added that the Vice President’s controversial remarks were prompted by an alleged threat against her and her family under the purported "Project Romanov."

He argued that while her response may have been “unconventional,” it was “justified.”

According to Vinluan, Duterte's remarks were triggered by a question regarding the alleged "Project Romanov," which he described as a supposed plot to eliminate the Vice President and her entire family.

"The truth of the matter is this - she and her family were threatened, and while her response was unconventional, it was justified. What triggered her response was a question about 'Operation Romanov,' which is the plot to eliminate VP Sara and her entire family," Vinluan said.

"When VP Sara uttered those words, she was not responding as Sara Duterte, the Vice-President, but Sara Duterte, the wife, mother, daughter, and sister who only sought to protect her own and her family members' lives. 'Operation Romanov' is in place, and the threat against their lives is real. VP Sara became the target of unauthorized intelligence and surveillance operations by government operatives that exposed her family to high-level risks and security threats, thereby causing intense trauma and uncontrollable fear," he added.

Calilung said they tried to investigate the alleged assassination plot against the Dutertes but he claimed that the Vice President failed to appear before the NBI to support their allegations.

"We tried to investigate the supposed threats against them, Your Honor. It was included in our letter to the Vice President. That is why we invited her to our office so we could investigate the alleged threats to her life," Calilung said.

However, Calilung said Duterte’s remarks about instructing someone to kill the President constituted a serious threat.

He explained that authorities consider several factors in determining whether a statement qualifies as a serious threat, including the person’s capability to carry it out.