MANILA, Philippines — The threats from the family members of detained former President Rodrigo Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. constitute a “kinetic force” that may cause unrest.

During the eighth day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on Tuesday, July 21, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said that the rhetoric from the vice president and her brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, carries a "kinetic force" that extends far beyond words.

This is because their pronouncements may influence those who hear them to replicate the threats.

"Ang tingin nga po namin dito, the threat is serious, active, and continuing doon po sa banta sa ating presidente. At dahil ito ay seryoso, aktibo, at patuloy na umiiral ay nagiging banta na rin po sa ating pambansang seguridad sapagkat ano man pong banta sa seguridad ng ating pangulo ay banta po sa ating national security,” Matibag, who is a lawyer, said.

(The way we see it, the threat against our President is serious, active, and continuing. And because it is serious, active, and ongoing, it also poses a threat to our national security—because any threat to the security of our President is a threat to our national security.)

“Sapagkat dito po makikita na ang naging pagbabanta ng ating vice president ay nagkaroon po ng tinatawag natin na ‘epekto,’ kinetic force, kung saan yung mga nakarinig ng kanyang pagbabanta, ay gumagaya na rin at nagbabanta. Lalong lalo na sila ay nabibilang sa isang pamilya,” he added.

(Because this shows that the threat made by our Vice President has had what we call an 'effect'—a kinetic force—where those who heard her threat are now copying it and making threats as well. Especially considering they belong to the same family.)

Matibag was referring to videos of the vice president's October and November 2024 press conferences.

During the October 2024 press conference, the vice president said she wanted to cut off Marcos' head. In the November 2024 Zoom press conference, Duterte said that she had hired an assassin to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if anything happened to her.

Another video cited by Matibag featured her brother, Sebastian, during an April 2026 RAGE Coalition rally, where he said they only needed Marcos' head.

Sebastian’s video has been viewed by more than 600,000 people, according to Matibag.

Today is the last day of the impeachment court's hearings on Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment.

The charges involve grave threats and inciting to sedition against Sara Duterte.