Senator Risa Hontiveros – Photo courtesy of Senator Risa Hontiveros/Facebook.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros sought the National Bureau of Investigation’s assistance after receiving hundreds of online death threats following the killing of vlogger Alicia “Mima Alicia” Lipata.
Hontiveros said social media users had posted messages claiming that she should be the next target after Lipata was shot outside her home in Caloocan City on July 17.
Her office submitted screenshots and the names of Facebook users behind the threatening posts to the NBI for investigation and possible identification.
The senator said her staff had regularly removed and reported violent comments but decided to refer the matter to authorities because of the volume and seriousness of the threats.
Hontiveros condemned the celebration of Lipata’s death and warned that repeated calls for violence could further normalize hostility in political discussions.
She urged social media companies and law enforcement agencies to act against users who issue death threats or encourage attacks against people with opposing political views.
The threats surfaced as Hontiveros served as one of the senator-judges in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, where the prosecution raised allegations involving threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and two other officials.
Police, meanwhile, arrested two men in Pampanga over Lipata’s killing, although investigators had not publicly established the motive behind the attack.