House prosecutors dismissed the alleged “Oplan Romanov” raised by the defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte, calling it an unsupported claim meant to distract from the grave threats issue in her impeachment trial.
Prosecution spokesperson Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr. said the supposed plot was introduced only by Duterte’s lawyers and was not backed by evidence presented before the Senate impeachment court.
“Maliwanag na walang kahit na anong ebidensya na mailalapag dito sa paglilitis na ito na mapapatunayan ito in any way. It just remains an allegation. At the end of the day, it seems that by raising this matter, it seems that they’re trying to justify the threat by raising this,” Tolosa said.
Tolosa said the central issue remains whether it was proper for the Vice President to allegedly threaten to kill the President based on her claim that her family’s lives were in danger.
House prosecutor and San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora said the “Oplan Romanov” claim only sowed confusion because it was not anchored on concrete proof.
“Litong lito kami sa Romanov na ‘yan e. Tignan na lang natin ang pagkakakilanlan sa ating President, sa kanyang pamilya, I don’t think that anyone would think that these words relating to assassination, massacre, all of that would come from the first family. Kathang isip ito ng kabilang partido dahil wala naman napatunayan na may ganoong plot sa kanila,” Zamora said.
Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V also said the alleged threats should not be minimized, especially because they were directed at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
“Hindi biro ‘yang ganyan. It’s a grave crime. Yung conditional threat naman kasi palusot lang ‘yan ng nag grave threats. Yang ganyang mga bagay hindi maliit na bagay na hindi mo na lang papansinin. That’s a threat to the highest official of the land,” Ortega said.
During the first week of Duterte’s impeachment trial, National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, the prosecution’s first witness, testified that the threats allegedly made by Duterte against the President were “absolute.”
Calilung also authenticated videos of the Vice President where she allegedly made the threats cited under the grave threats article of impeachment.
The prosecution panel maintained that the defense had not presented proof of the alleged plot and that the impeachment court should focus on whether Duterte’s statements and conduct constituted an impeachable offense.