Ex-NBI chief: ‘Oplan Romanov’ a threat vs Marcoses, not VP Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — Former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago said the so-called “Operation Romanov” is a plot to supposedly eliminate the Marcos family — not Vice President Sara Duterte.

Santiago was NBI director when Duterte held an online press conference in November 2024, where she supposedly said that she already contacted an individual to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez should she be killed first. He served as the leader of the bureau from June 2024 to January 2025.

READ: Witness: VP Sara Duterte capable of carrying out threats

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In an interview, Santiago explained that the term “Oplan Romanov” first came from Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte during a forum in Davao in January 2024.

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He recalled that the younger Duterte warned Marcos that before he sleeps, he must think about “Romanov” and what happened to their family in 1986 when his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was ousted through the People Power Revolution.

The former NBI director then noted that he was surprised when vlogger Princess Maui brought up the “Oplan Romanov” during the online press conference as supposedly a threat to the vice president’s life.

“Oplan Romanov was Baste’s warning to the president and to the first family. Why did it become VP Sara’s? It’s not VP Sara’s,” Santiago noted in the interview on Wednesday.

“Then you see VP Sara, she herself said that this is the second time I heard about Romanov,” he added.

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Santiago also said that, as per the mandate of the NBI, they also investigated the alleged threats to the life of the vice president.

READ: Sara camp to present witnesses to prove alleged ‘Operation Romanov’

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“We investigated that too. But then, what he says is threats to him remains an allegation. They don’t want to cooperate with us, at least give us a tip on who it is, who they think is (threatening her life),” the former NBI director said.

Santiago said he is willing to testify before the Senate impeachment court to share his knowledge regarding the matter.

During the Senate impeachment court on Tuesday, NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc, serving as a witness, said that based on their investigation, the vice president was capable of carrying out her assassination threats against the first couple and Romualdez, noting that prosecutors sought to establish that her statements constituted grave threats and betrayal of public trust.

Duterte’s defense team, meanwhile, earlier said it will present witnesses to prove the existence of “Operation Romanov” as a supposed plot to eliminate her and the Duterte family.

Incumbent NBI Director Melvin Matibag is expected to appear at the impeachment trial on Tuesday, July 21, as a last witness in the Article IV of the impeachment complaint. /das

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