Senator Raffy Tulfo seeks clarification alleged assassination plot vs. VP Sara Duterte

Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo sought clarification from the defense panel regarding the origin of "Operation Romanov", a supposed assassination and surveillance plot targeting Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte and her family.

During the fourth day of Duterte's impeachment trial, he asked whether the defense intends to call the online personalities who first publicized the alleged plot against the Duterte family. Her defense team invoked the term during her impeachment trial to justify her November 2024 remarks, where she claimed to have hired a hitman to kill the President and other officials if she were assassinated

The term originally surfaced in a November 2024 Zoom press conference. When asked about this supposed plot, an angered Duterte stated she had contracted someone to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez if harm came to her

Tulfo said the impeachment court needs clarity on the timeline and evidence backing the defense's claims as the trial moves forward.

“Now, Atty. Vinluan, this Operation Romanov that you mentioned, are you referring to the Operation Romanov mentioned by the vlogger Princess Maui during the online press conference of VP Sara? Will you also be presenting any other witness to prove this Operation Romanov?" Tulfo asked.

In response, defense counsel Atty. Mark Vinluan acknowledged Tulfo’s question but declined to confirm whether the vlogger would be presented as a witness. He said the defense’s final witness lineup remains confidential and will depend on how the prosecution's case unfolds.

Tulfo noted the historical context of the Romanov name, which refers to the Russian imperial ruling family, who were systematically executed by Bolshevik revolutionaries in July 1918.