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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Alan Cayetano defends Mayor Baste vs allegations linking him to 'Romanov' threat

Alan Cayetano defends Mayor Baste vs allegations linking him to 'Romanov' threat

Published Jul 14, 2026 05:24 pm

At A Glance

  • Senator-Judge Alan Peter Cayetano urged the Senate Impeachment Court to be circumspect and to be careful from making conclusions regarding Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte's alleged involvement in the so-called "Operation Romanov" that now seemingly refers to the plot to assasinate the Marcos family, and not Vice President Sara Duterte.
Senator-Judge Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday, July 14 defended Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte from allegations he could be involved in the so-called “Operation Romanov.” 
Vice President Sara Duterte (left), Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian
Vice President Sara Duterte (left), Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte (Facebook)
Cayetano pointed this out after a sudden twist in the testimony of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) -BARMM Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc emerged during the fifth day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Lotoc, responding to the queries of Senator-Judges Raffy Tulfo and Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, reversed an earlier impression and affirmed that the supposed target of the assassination plot was actually not the Vice President but President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his family.
In his testimony before the Senate Impeachment Court, Lotoc said that NBI investigators were able to come across a speech by Mayor Duterte in a January rally where he allegedly uttered a warning against President Marcos to think about what happened to Russia’s Romanov family.
The Romanov family was the last imperial dynasty to rule Russia and were executed by Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1917.
“It’s fair that you mentioned him. It’s fair that you mentioned him in your investigation. But I don’t think we should draw a conclusion here that Mayor Baste was threatening the First Family,” Cayetano reasoned out.
“Because remember, there’s a thin line between a warning and a threat…So if I tell you, Mr. Witness, since we’re both lawyers, be careful of what you say, that could be a fair warning, right? That could not be a threat, right?” he pointed out.
“If there is a threat that was relayed to you and I don’t like it, I can file charges against you. But that could be an illegal threat, right? But it can also be a warning. So I just want that on the record, Mr. Presiding Officer, Mr. Senate President. Because everyone’s watching. And in the same manner, we have to be fair to the First Family,” he said.
But Cayetano urged the Impeachment Court to refrain from making immediate conclusions about the Davao city mayor.
“We have to be fair also to Mayor Baste and to the Duterte’s, rather than draw a conclusion that there was an actual (threat). Mentioning Romanov and Oplan Romanov are two different things. It may be the same thing, it may be a different thing…We don’t know,” he emphasized.
“So let’s just be circumspect, and careful from making conclusions,” the senator appealed.

Related Tags

Alan Cayetano Duterte impeachment case 2026 Jeremy Lotoc Operation Romanov
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