SENATE President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday dismissed claims that the Philippines is under “de facto Martial Law,” pointing to the continued exercise of free speech by government critics.

Lacson said constitutional rights to free expression remain fully in place, stressing that critics are able to attack the government openly and without fear.

“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 said in a post on X.

He reiterated his rejection of earlier allegations made by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, saying he has seen no actions by the current administration that resemble the suppression of dissent.

Lacson added that Leviste’s decision to file a libel complaint against Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro further undermines claims of authoritarian rule.

“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 said.