Sara Duterte's 'Romanov' claim traced to Baste's remark on first family – NBI witness

MANILA, Philippines — The "Romanov" reference that Vice President Sara Duterte cited as part of an alleged plot against her life did not originate as a plot against her.

The National Bureau of Investigation traced it to an earlier warning made by her brother, Davao City Acting Mayor Baste Duterte, against the first family.

NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc testified before the impeachment court Tuesday, July 14, that the bureau classified "Operation Romanov" as unvalidated information.

Lotoc said the NBI's open-source check traced the earliest known use of the term to a Hakbang ng Maisug rally in Davao City, where Baste publicly invoked the Romanovs, apparently referring to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family.

"When you go to bed tonight, think about the Romanovs," Lotoc quoted the mayor as saying.

"Parang sinasabi niya na baka mangyari sa pamilya niyo 'yun, gaya ng nangyari sa inyo noong 1986. Uh, kung tama yung memory ko, parang ganun po ang sinasabi ni Mayor Baste," Lotoc added.

(It was like he was saying that it might happen to your family, just like what happened to you in 1986. If my memory serves me right, that seems to be what Mayor Baste was saying.)

The Romanovs were Russia's last imperial dynasty. Members of the family were executed by Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1918, after the dynasty was ousted in 1917.

Unvalidated claim

In the impeachment proceedings, "Operation Romanov" was repeatedly raised in connection with the claim made by vlogger Princess Maui, a Duterte supporter, during the vice president's November 2024 Zoom press conference.

Lotoc said the NBI invited Princess Maui to shed light on her claim, but she did not appear.

Asked how the bureau rated the warning from Princess Maui, Lotoc said it was not reliable as far as the NBI cybercrime division was concerned.

Lotoc also said the NBI was able to pursue a deeper probe into Duterte's "kill" remarks because the threat was "apparent," while the alleged plot against her life was an unvalidated allegation that her camp did not substantiate.

"Yung grave threats na in-utter ng vice president against the president, apparent po siya. Nakita po namin sa video, in-authenticate namin yung video, nag-testify yung may personal knowledge na in fact sinabi niya yon," Lotoc told Sen. Joel Villanueva.

The alleged threat against Duterte, he said, had no equivalent basis, as she did not appear before the bureau to provide more information and her camp gave no specific information to start from.

Lotoc said the only relevant security development the bureau found was the pullout of some 75 police personnel from Duterte's security group, though records showed she retained around 335 security personnel.

The NBI's intelligence service continues to monitor for leads, he added.

Why 'Romanov' was left out

Sen. Ping Lacson asked why Baste Duterte's Hakbang ng Maisug speech, which Lotoc said was the earliest known use of the word "Romanov," was left out of the NBI's affidavit of investigation when it could have strengthened the case.

Lotoc said the NBI probe was not focused on "Romanov," and that the bureau initially thought the supposed plot targeted the vice president until the Maisug video showed the term was first aimed at the president's family.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano cautioned against concluding that Baste was threatening the first family with his "Romanov" remark, saying "there's a thin line between a warning and a threat."

Cayetano said Baste appeared to be drawing a parallel to 1986, when the Marcoses were ousted by revolution, with the difference that the Romanovs were killed so they could not return.

If the mayor had truly made a threat, Cayetano argued, Sen. Imee Marcos would have taken offense and the Presidential Security Command or police would have filed a case against him.

Lotoc is the second witness to testify in the impeachment proceedings against the vice president.

The impeachment court is hearing Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which covers the alleged grave threats and inciting to sedition that Duterte allegedly committed in October and November 2024. — with Cristina Chi