Breakfast, merienda and death threats

The late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago famously quipped that she “ate death threats for breakfast.”

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Melvin Matibag has done her one better.

“I eat death threats for breakfast, even for merienda,” he deadpanned in Filipino and English when asked how often he receives threats as the bureau investigates the growing wave of violent posts on social media.

According to Matibag, the answer is easy: every day.

The bravado, however, underscores a serious problem.

The NBI is investigating online death threats against public officials, including Sen. Risa Hontiveros, whose office sought the bureau’s assistance after threatening messages surfaced online. The Cybercrime Division has already identified several persons of interest.

“They have a group chat. We’ve already established that,” Matibag said, adding that investigators are looking into coordinated activity behind the posts.

Subpoenas or invitations for questioning may soon follow as the bureau determines each individual’s role.

Worrying norm

The probe has also expanded beyond Hontiveros. Similar threats have targeted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other public figures, prompting concern that calls for violence are becoming disturbingly routine.

The investigation also covers the public death threats allegedly made by Vice President Sara Duterte against Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and the President’s cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Duterte’s statements form part of the impeachment complaint against her, and Matibag has testified before the Senate impeachment court on the NBI’s investigation into the alleged threats.

“That has become the norm. That’s exactly what I’m saying. We have to put a stop to this,” Matibag said.

So while Matibag joked about eating death threats twice a day, the NBI chief made it clear there is nothing amusing about a social media culture where anonymous users casually threaten to kill people.

The bureau, he said, will continue running down those responsible —armed, not with punchlines, but with subpoenas and the law.