Manila: Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson stated Wednesday that the continued exercise of free speech by government critics contradicts claims that the country is under a 'de facto Martial Law.'
According to Philippines News Agency, Lacson highlighted that freedom of speech and expression, as enshrined in the 1987 Constitution, remains intact, with critics openly assailing the government without restraint. "When critics of government can 'fire at will,' not through underground media outlets but openly, to say that the country is under 'de facto' martial law is not only full of holes, but the hole itself," Lacson remarked in a post on X.
He reiterated his rejection of allegations made earlier by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, asserting that he has not observed any actions resembling the silencing of dissent under the current administration. Lacson pointed out that Leviste's filing of a libel complaint against Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro further undermines the claim. "Didn't Leviste file a libel complaint? Had there been a de facto Martial Law, he could have been the one slapped with a libel complaint," Lacson added.
