The alleged plot hatched to kill Vice President Sara Duterte that the defense lawyers in the impeachment trial have used to defend their client’s verbal threats was not supported by any evidence, a member of the prosecution panel said.

Jay Tolosa, a private prosecutor for the House of Representatives, explained that the lack of substance concerning “Oplan Romanov” was a matter that had already been discussed through the testimony of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-BARMM regional director Atty. Jeremy Lotoc.

“It was repeatedly tackled during the previous hearings, but until now it is clear that there is no evidence that supports that there was in fact an attempt or a threat on the life of the Vice President,” Tolosa said during a press conference on Wednesday, 15 July.

The issue concerning the supposed kill plot against the Vice President was first brought to the attention of the court during the presentation of video recordings from the 23 November 2024 press conference, wherein the verbal threats were uttered.

Term originated from Baste

In the said recording, Duterte said that she had supposedly contacted an unidentified individual to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez in the event that she was killed because of “Oplan Romanov.”

However, Lotoc pointed out throughout his two-day testimony that the plot was first mentioned by Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, which was then directed as a threat towards the Marcoses.

Asked to reiterate what Baste previously stated, Lotoc said, “When you go to bed tonight, think about the Romanovs.”