It’s up to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) whether to probe former President Rodrigo R. Duterte's alleged kill threats against senators, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said on Monday, Feb. 17.

“Motu proprio (on one's own initiative) the NBI can look at that,” Remulla told journalists as he pointed that there is no need for him to issue an order to investigate the statements made by Duterte.

“Alam n’yo naman we’re used to the language of the former President. Sanay tayo. Hindi naman lahat ng sinasabi n’ya tatalon tayo (You know we’re used to the language of the President. Not all he says we believe),” Remulla said.

“Pero if the senators themselves complain then we have reason to act on the matter kasi s’yempre sila yung endangered ‘nung ganoong statements (We have reason to act on the matter if the senators themselves file the complaints because they are the ones who are endangered by the statements),” he explained.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago expressed similar sentiments. He said the statements issued by the former president was just “rhetorics” and was part of his party’s political agenda.

Adopting Remulla's statement, Santiago said the NBI will investigate Duterte if there are senators who will file a complaint.

“Dapat ‘yung mga senador, kung sino man, sila ang magreklamo kung alam nila na sila ‘yung tinatakot na ipapapatay (The senators, whoever they are, should file complaints if they know that they are the ones being threatened),” Santiago said.

Remulla and Santiago responded to calls to have the NBI investigate Duterte over the alleged kill threats he made last Thursday, Feb. 13, during the proclamation rally of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

During the rally, Duterte said there were too many senatorial candidates and jokingly suggested “let’s kill the senators now to create vacancies.”

Earlier, the NBI had filed inciting to sedition and grave threat charges against the former president's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, over the reported declaration during a press conference in November last year that, in the event she is killed, she has ordered someone to kill President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Remulla explained that the Vice President was charged because he specifically named the persons she threatened.

Santiago also gave a similar reason for the filing of the charges and added: "Sinabi pa niya (VP Duterte) 'no joke, no joke.'"

“Contrary dito sa deklarasyon ni President Digong, kitang kita ng tao na nagjojoke lamang s’ya (What Sara did was contrary to what her father did who was obviously making a joke),” Santiago added.