The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte said on Monday it would present a witness to support its claim that an alleged assassination plot against her and her family was real, as it sought to challenge prosecutors’ argument that her remarks threatening President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. amounted to an impeachable offense.

Defense lawyer Atty. Mark Vinluan told the Senate impeachment court that the defense would introduce evidence on the alleged “Operation Romanov,” a purported plot that Duterte’s camp has cited as the reason behind her explosive November 2024 statement that she had arranged for Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez to be killed if she herself were assassinated.

“Your Honor, at this point, it will depend on what has been…what will be established by the prosecution. The defense reserves its right to call or not call any witness, depending on the course of the trial,” Vinluan said.

Senator-Judge Raffy Tulfo had earlier who asked whether the defense would present vlogger “Princess Maui,” the person who first mentioned the alleged operation during the press conference that preceded Duterte’s remarks.

But when Tulfo asked if the defense would present another witness to prove the alleged threat against Duterte and her family, Vinluan replied: “Yes, Your Honor. That will be part of our evidence.”

He declined to identify the witnesses the defense plans to call.

The prosecution has argued that Duterte’s own words showed a willingness to threaten the country’s top officials. 

The House prosecution panel has presented National Bureau of Investigation witnesses, including Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, who testified that Duterte and Princess Maui failed to appear before investigators to provide evidence supporting claims of a plot against the Vice President and her family.

The defense, however, has maintained that Duterte’s statement was not an assassination order but a warning made under extraordinary circumstances.

“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 earlier said.

During Monday’s hearing, Tulfo also raised a separate reference to “Oplan Romanov,” saying he first heard the term during a Maisug Leaders Forum in Davao City in January 2024, where it was allegedly mentioned by Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte.

Asked if Mayor Duterte’s remarks were connected to Princess Maui’s statements during the November 2024 press conference, Vinluan said he could not comment.###